From the official press release:
The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitchers John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitchers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio and Single-A Daytona infielder Josh Harrison.
Grabow will be added to the Cubs 25-man roster prior to tomorrow’s game at Florida. Gorzelanny, a native of Evergreen Park, Ill., will join Chicago’s Triple-A Iowa roster.
I know the rumors of this deal have been flying all day, and it was just made official. The only surprise to me is that Gorzelanny is headed to Iowa -- I was certain he'd be joining the starting rotation, replacing Hart until Ted Lilly comes back. Now, it appears the replacement would have to be Sean Marshall, who threw an inning today. In any case, they've got four days to figure it out.
Honestly, I'm happy with this deal. Hart did a good job in his four starts, but his control isn't the best and Gorzelanny, who is only six months older than Hart, had a 14-win season as a rotation starter two years ago for the Pirates. If he can recapture what he had that season -- and he's been very good at Indianapolis for the Pirates this year -- the Cubs got a good lefthanded starting pitcher for virtually nothing. He's a Chicago-area native (Evergreen Park) who, although he grew up a White Sox fan, has to be happy to be returning home to pitch. Jose Ascanio has a good arm, but the Cubs have lots of good similar arms, and though Josh Harrison has talent, I don't think he's any great loss to the system.
I would imagine that the Cubs will go with the extra relief pitcher until Hart's spot in the rotation comes up next Tuesday, then Gorzelanny could be recalled.
Use this post to discuss the trade; I'll also have a game recap up soon.