The Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates have completed a trade that will send veteran first baseman Ji-Man Choi to the National League Central. In exchange for the 31-year-old infielder, the Pirates send back minor league pitcher Jack Hartman, according to BallySports Florida reporter Tricia Whitaker.

“The Rays have traded 1B Ji-Man Choi to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They get minor league RH Jack Hartman,” she tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Choi has been in the big leagues since 2016 and spent the last five years of his career with the Rays. Last season, he hit just .233 with 11 home runs with 52 runs batted in and a career-high 123 strikeouts. Choi spent a year each with the Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers his first three seasons before landing with the Rays.

In 2019, he had a breakout year. Choi hit a career best 19 home runs with a .261 batting average and .363 on-base percentage. He has always shown a propensity to be disciplined at the plate. Despite a career .239 batting average, the former Rays infielder's career on-base percentage is over 100 points higher at .345.

It's possible that the Yankees and specifically Gerrit Cole are the happiest with this deal. Choi owns Cole, for whatever reason. He is 10-for-24 with three doubles and three home runs against him in his career.

So, the Pirates land a veteran who can reach base. In return, the Rays get an unproven youngster. Hartman was drafted by the Pirates in 2017 as a senior out of Appalachian State. However, he was a position player for much of his collegiate career. In 22 appearances last season in the minors, he posted a 6.27 ERA and 2.04 WHIP.