Saturday, July 24, 1999
Pirates get Oliver in trade
BY GEOF BECKER
Associated Press Writer
PITTSBURGH — Former Red Joe Oliver is back in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates, in desperate need of catchers, traded outfielder Jose Guillen and minor-league pitcher Jeff Sparks to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Friday for Oliver and fellow minor league catcher Humberto Cola.
“I'm ecstatic,” said Oliver, who will join the Pirates in Montreal.
Oliver, who turned 34 today, has spent the 1999 season with the Devil Rays' AAA affiliate in Durham, where he batted .301 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs in 57 games.
Pittsburgh catcher Jason Kendall is out for the season after dislocating his ankle just before the All-Star game. Backup Keith Osik went on the disabled list after pulling a hamstring Wednesday.
“This is a big opportunity for me,” Oliver said. “Hopefully I can stay healthy and do what I can behind the plate and add whatever I possibly can offensively.”
Cota, 20, has spent the season with Charleston, S.C. in the South Atlantic League, batting .280 with nine home runs and a team-leading 61 RBIs.
Guillen, 23, struggled with the Pirates this season after driving in 84 runs last year in his second full season in the majors. He joined the Pirates late in spring training because of visa problems and was twice sent to Pittsburgh's AAA affiliate in Nashville, most recently in June, to recover his batting stroke.
Guillen, once considered a future star, made the surprising leap to the majors from Class A ball in 1997.
Sparks, 27, joined the Pirates as a minor league free agent in January and has spent the season with Nashville, where he is 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 34 appearances.
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