The Red Sox Nation  

The Pirates today acquired infielder Andy LaRoche and righthanded pitcher Bryan Morris from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and outfielder Brandon Moss and reliever Craig Hansen from the Boston Red Sox.

As part of the deal, left fielder Jason Bay goes from Pittsburgh to Boston and the Dodgers get outfielder Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox.

LaRoche, 24, is the younger brother of Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche. He was rated as the Dodgers' second-best prospect by Baseball America entering 2008. He began this year with Double-A Jacksonville, where he hit .318 in six games while on a rehab assignment. He also hit .293 with three doubles, five home runs and 28 RBIs in 39 games with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Hansen was Boston's first round selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft and became the first player in Red Sox history to reach the majors in the year he was drafted. He began the year with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, where he was 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA, 17 strikeouts and a .107 batting average against in 11 relief appearances. He has gone 3-5 with two saves in 74 career relief appearances in the big leagues.

The 24-year-old Moss split the season between Triple-A Pawtucket and Boston. In 34 games with the Red Sox he hit .295 with five doubles, two home runs and seven runs. LaRoche also hit .282 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 43 games with Pawtucket.

Morris, 21, posted a 2-4 record and 3.20 ERA along with 72 strikeouts this year for Single-A Great Lakes of the Midwest League. He was charged with three earned runs or less in 15 of his 17 starts with Great Lakes.