12/12 From 1930 Through the 1990’s: Freddie, Leon, Arky, Leppert, Helms & Hendricks Deals; Buechele Signed; HBD Joey O

• 1932 - Giant CF Freddie Lindstrom ended up a Bucco in a three-way deal. New York sent CF Chick Fullis to the Phillies, Pittsburgh sent RHP Glenn Spencer to the Giants and OF Gus Dugas to Philadelphia, who shipped OF Kiddo Davis to New York. Lindstrom hit .302 in two seasons at Pittsburgh, playing with Lloyd and Paul Waner. For the cost of two reserves, the Bucs got two years of a Hall-of-Famer. 

Leon Chagnon - photo Mears/TSN

• 1934 - The Pirates sent RHP Leon Chagnon to the New York Giants for 21-year-old righty Jack Salveson. Salveson never developed and was flipped to the White Sox after five forgettable outings; following the ‘35 campaign, he reappeared in the majors for two more seasons during the war years. Chagnon had worked five years for the Bucs (19-14-2/4.61), but 1935 would be his last big league hurrah. 
• 1941 - The Bucs traded SS Arky Vaughan to the Brooklyn Dodgers for IF Pete Coscarart, RHP Luke Hamlin, C Babe Phelps and OF/1B Jimmy Wasdell. Only reserve infielder Coscarart stuck with the team past 1942. In 10 seasons, Hall of Famer Vaughan hit .324 for Pittsburgh. He later had a couple of strong seasons for Brooklyn, then left the team and worked his ranch for three years because of, according to baseball lore, a dispute with manager Leo Durocher (although his family said he ran the spread because his brother Glenn was drafted and there was no one else to do the job.) Whatever the reason, he didn’t return to baseball until 1947, after Durocher was suspended for gambling. 
• 1961 - The Pirates shipped minor league OF/1B Tom Burgess to the Angels for C Don Leppert. Leppert spent two seasons as a backup in Pittsburgh, while the persistent Burgess, whose only prior MLB action was in 1954 with the Cards (he signed with them as an 18-year-old in 1946), got to swing it off the bench with Los Angeles. Sadly, he didn’t get past the Mendoza Line either season and hung ‘em up after a final year in the minors. 
• 1975 - Houston sent veteran IF Tommy Helms to the Pirates for a PTBNL (IF Art Howe). Helms was at the end of his days here, while Howe went on to have a solid career with the Astros and Cards, playing for 11 years with a .260 career BA. Afterward, Art scouted, coached and managed the Astros (1989–93), Oakland Athletics (1996–2002), and New York Mets (2003–04). 
• 1984 - The Bucs traded LHP John Tudor and OF Brian Harper to the St. Louis Cardinals for UT Steve Barnard and OF George Hendricks. Tudor won 21 games with the Cards while tossing 10 shutouts the next season and won two World Series games. “Jogging George” hit .230 and lasted until August, when he was sent to the California Angels. Barnard never made it out of A ball. 

George Hendrick - 1985 Fleer Update

• 1991 - The Pirates signed 3B Steve Buechele to a four-year/$11M deal. He arrived in Pittsburgh at the 1991 deadline and hit .246 w/four HR & 19 RBI in 31 games. Buechele was seeking four years/$13M; the Pirates gave him the security, if not quite the payday, he was seeking. Steve lasted into July the following season before he was sent to the Cubs for Danny Jackson. It wasn’t all a bed of roses; Jim Leyland and Bobby Bonilla got into a verbal spat when the skipper said he didn’t believe Bo, who went to the Mets, was ever planning to re-sign with the Pirates, prompting an exchange of “cheap shot” charges between the pair. 
• 1992 - UT Jose Osuna was born in Trujillo, Venezuela. He made his MLB debut with the Buccos in 2017, and in two years bouncing between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, he’s hit .231 w/10 HR in 321 AB’s. The Pirates worked third base and the corner outfield into his resume while he hit .264 w/10 HR in 2019, finally settling into a solid bench piece.