The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded minor league infielder Jimmy Rider to the Boston Red Sox for future considerations, per Baseball America. Rider tweeted earlier this week that he was a new member of the Red Sox. The Pittsburgh native was drafted in the 26th round of the 2012 draft out of Kent State. In the past two years he has had a .608 OPS in 234 minor league at-bats. Most of those have been in short-season ball. He has been organizational depth at the lower levels, so this is likely a case where the Pirates didn’t have room for him, and wanted to find him a better opportunity.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
The Bucs and the Red Sox do seem to trade with each other a lot, thanks to that Cherington/NH connection.
Great last name!