Jays Trade for Gift Ngoepe from Pirates

The Jays have traded for Gift Ngoepe from the Pirates, for a player to be named or cash (I would think cash for a Gift would be fair).

Gift is 27, turns 28 in January. He played 28 games, in the majors, for the Pirates last year, hitting .222/.323/.296. In Triple A, over the past 3 seasons, he’s hit .221/.295/.362 with 14 homers in 200 games. He’s played mostly second, short and third in his minor league career.

Other than a bunch of bad jokes about his first name (it’s Gift giving season for the Pirates?) I really can’t tell you anything more about him, other than he was born in St. Petersburg, South Africa and was the first South African to make it to the majors.

He would give us 34 players on the 40-man roster now.