Perrotto: A Trade The Pirates Can’t Really Lose (+)

PITTSBURGH – It was a minor trade by any measure. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t pay off for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And it is the type of trade Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is going to need hit on occasionally if he is to build a championship team.

The Pirates sent right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday for minor league infielder Alika Williams.

When the Pirates claimed Stephenson off waivers from the Colorado Rockies last Aug. 27, he was considered a failed prospect after being the Cincinnati Reds’ first-round draft pick in 2011.