The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired Justin Morneau from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for outfielder Alex Presley and a player to be named later.

Pittsburgh entered Saturday tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the National League Central.

Morneau, who is in the final year of his contract and has spent his entire 11-year career with the Twins, is hitting .259/.315/.426 with 17 home runs and 74 RBI.

The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired John Axford from the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later.

Axford is expected to join his new team on Friday night when they begin an important series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"John is a reliever that offers experience as both a setup man and closer," John Mozeliak said. "He's also a pitcher who brings familiarity with the N.L. Central, pennant race baseball and the postseason."

Axford is 6-7 this season with a 4.45 ERA.

The Baltimore Orioles have acquired Michael Morse from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league outfielder Xavier Avery.

The Orioles claimed Morse on trade waivers on Wednesday. He will be a free agent after the season and Baltimore will pick up the remaining $1.25 million on his contract.

Morse is hitting .226/.283/.410 with 13 home runs and 27 RBIs this season.

The Pirates today traded right-handed relief pitcher Vic Black as the player to be named to the Mets to complete Tuesday’s trade in which Pittsburgh acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher John Buck.
  

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired Marlon Byrd and John Buck from the New York Mets, according to a source.

New York received infield prospect Dilson Herrera and a player to be named in the waiver trade.

Byrd is batting .285 with a career-high 21 home runs and 71 RBIs this season.

The Baltimore Orioles have traded Freddy Garcia to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations.

Garcia, 36, went 3-5 with a 5.77 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) with the Orioles this year and was pitching at the team's Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk.

The Washington Nationals have acquired David DeJesus from the Chicago Cubs.

The Nationals acquired DeJesus in a trade in exchange for a player to be named later. He will immediately face his former team as Washington and Chicago play a series at Wrigley Field.

DeJesus was hitting .250 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 84 games this year.

The Texas Rangers have acquired Travis Blackley from the Houston Astros in exchange for cash considerations.

Blackley will be sent to Triple-A Round Rock and not be placed on the club's 40-man roster.

The left-hander went 1-1 with a 4.89 ERA in 42 relief appearances for the Astros this season.

The Kansas City Royals have acquired Emilio Bonifacio from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

The Royals have transferred Miguel Tejada to the 60-day disabled list.

The Kansas City Royals have acquired Jamey Carroll from the Minnesota Twins in a waiver trade.

Minnesota will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations.