Pirates cap series of trades by dealing struggling left-hander Liriano to Blue Jays

ATLANTA — For the Pirates, the cost of blowing up one of the worst starting rotations in the National League included surrendering two of their best minor league players.

The demolition was completed Monday when struggling left-hander Francisco Liriano was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for righty Drew Hutchison.

As part of the deal, which fell into place just before the 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline, the Pirates sent a pair of elite prospects — catcher Reese McGuire and outfielder Harold Ramirez — to the Blue Jays.

“The cost of starting pitching … is extremely high,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We fully recognize we've given up two quality prospects. We feel like we dealt from a position of organizational depth.”

Huntington said McGuire, a first-round pick in 2013, was expendable due to Francisco Cervelli's contract extension and Elias Diaz's progress. Ramirez, who hit .306 at Double-A Altoona, was blocked playing the same position as Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Andrew McCutchen.

Also on Monday, the Pirates acquired righty Ivan Nova from the New York Yankees in exchange for two minor leaguers to be named later.

The Pirates also swapped left-hander Jon Niese to the New York Mets for lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo and cash. The Pirates got Niese in December when Neil Walker was traded to the Mets.

Nova will take Liriano's spot in the rotation. Hutchison was assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

“Our goal in this was to continue to allow this 2016 team the opportunity to compete for a playoff spot. The addition of Nova and Bastardo adds to that,” Huntington said. “Drew Hutchison is an arm that we're excited about and we feel fits very well for us in the future.”

As the trade deadline approached, Huntington searched for upgrades to the rotation, which ranks among the worst in the National League in ERA (12th, 4.77), innings pitched (14th, 5601⁄3) and batting average against (15th, .275).

“We recognized we had some guys who weren't getting the job done,” Huntington said. “The starting rotation was our biggest challenge, and I feel like we've addressed that.”

Gerrit Cole is the only member of the opening day rotation who is guaranteed a spot. Rookie Jameson Taillon and 39-year-old Ryan Vogelsong, who will be activated from the 60-day disabled list Wednesday, also are in the new-look rotation.

After a brief demotion to the bullpen, Jeff Locke will return to the rotation Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. Yet, Locke probably will be replaced by either Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault or Tyler Glasnow in time.

Moving Liriano's $13.6 million salary and Niese's $9 million will shave about $7 million from the team's payroll. The Pirates also lowered their obligations for 2017 by $6.5 million.

The Pirates began this season with a $99.9 million payroll, which was roughly $4.1 million higher than it was at the end of last season. The club continues to rank among the bottom third of MLB in total salary.

Huntington was asked if there was a mandate from ownership to pare payroll.

“Absolutely not,” Huntington said. “This was all our choice to create some financial flexibility to keep this club competitive while adding to our future.”

When he got a three-year, $39 million contract in 2015, Liriano was the Pirates' largest free-agent signing. This season, he was one of their biggest disappointments, going 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA.

Hutchison, 25, is making $2.2 million and has two years of arbitration eligibility left. He spent most of this season at Triple-A Buffalo (6-5, 3.26 ERA) and made three outings (two starts) for the Blue Jays (1-0, 4.97).

“We feel he can step right into our rotation next year,” Huntington said.

A 15th-round pick in 2009, Hutchison has 73 starts in the majors. He throws a fastball that sits around 92 mph, a slider and a changeup.

One American League scout described Hutchison as a “fringy No. 5” starter.

“He competes his butt off,” the scout said. “He has to locate his average fastball to get his secondary stuff to work. He's always pitched well when he gets ahead 0-1. Can use both sides of the plate but has to keep a good angle. His stuff should play better in the National League.”

The Pirates have eyed Hutchison the past couple of seasons.

“We believe his surface numbers are not reflective of the potential,” Huntington said. “There are some things we can help him with, in terms of pitch sequencing and selection, how he attacks hitters and how he utilizes the quality of the pitches he has.”

In 21 games (15 starts) this season, Nova went 7-6 with a 4.90 ERA. Over his past five starts, Nova went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.

Nova has been unable in recent years to match his 2011 success (16-4, 3.70 ERA). He had Tommy John surgery in 2014.

Nova, 29, will be a free agent this winter, and Huntington said the Pirates “most likely” will not be able to re-sign him. He is due about $1.47 million of his $4.1 million salary for 2016.

The Pirates gave the Yankees a list of players from which to choose their two. The Yankees will scout them all before making their selections.

Bastardo, 30, is a familiar face. He made 41 appearances for the Pirates last season and put up a 4.74 ERA.

Over the winter, the Mets signed Bastardo to a two-year contract. He's making $5.25 million this season and will get $6.5 million in 2017.

Rob Biertempfel is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BiertempfelTrib.