Less than a month after they drew ire for standing pat at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made a move to bolster their offense as the playoffs approach.

The Pirates acquired Marlon Byrd and John Buck from the New York Mets in a waiver trade that sent infield prospect Dilson Herrera and a player to be named later to Flushing.

The Mets placed a handful of players on waivers recently and Matt Harvey's season-ending injury made it easier for them to make deals prior to the Aug. 31 deadline for players to make postseason rosters. In addition to Byrd and Buck, New York is believed to have made Pedro Feliciano available.

At 58-71, the Mets are on the outside of the playoff picture. Both Byrd and Buck will be free agents this winter, giving Sandy Alderson all the incentive needed to move the veteran hitters.

Herrera, 19, was playing at Class-A West Virginia. He was hitting .265/.330/.421 with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 479 plate appearances. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo recently ranked him as the No. 11 prospect in Pittsburgh's system.

The Mets will save just $1.23 million over the remainder of the season, according to MLBTradeRumors.com. The total isn't significant, but there is savings in the deal as well.

Grade for Mets: B+

In the wake of Harvey's injury, the Mets will lose even more fan interest without Byrd and Buck in the lineup. They rank second and fourth in games played this season. That's the only knock on the deal, although Anderson should be commended for setting his sights on the future and not two aging players with expiring contracts. Specifically, dealing Buck opens up amble playing time for Travis d'Arnaud.

Pittsburgh entered Tuesday's action just a half-game back of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. They are three games up on the Cincinnati Reds as the three clubs engage in a battle royal to avoid the one-game Wild Card playoff.

Only five teams, all of them poor, have scored fewer runs than the Pirates in 2013. They rank eighth in on-base percentage (.312), eleventh in slugging (.390) and ninth in on-base plus slugging (.702).

The addition of Byrd not only bolsters the offense, but it also helps fill the void left behind by Starling Marte (DL, hand injury). Jose Tabata has moved to left field to replace Marte, while Garrett Jones has taken over on right field (Tabata's primary position). Jones is hitting .235/.293/.410 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 121 games. He has spent a majority of the season playing first base, but the Marte injury forced Clint Hurdle's hand.

Byrd will immediately take over as the right fielder. The Pirates have gotten a .245/.307/.368 slash line from the position this season, one of their weaker spots. Byrd will represent a significant upgrade with 21 home runs and 71 RBI while hitting .285/.330/.518 for the Mets.

Formerly a center field, Byrd is also a plus-defender.

Buck hit 10 home runs in his first 25 games this season, but the catcher has just five over his last 76 contests. He is hitting .215/.285/.367, sadly in line with his production at the plate over the last two years. He has never replicated the career-year he enjoyed in 2010 with the Toronto Blue Jays -- .281/.314/.489.

He will serve as Russell Martin's primary backup with Michael McKenry on the 60-day disabled list and Tony Sanchez having just 15 Major League games under his belt.

Grade for Pirates: A

The Pirates didn't make a move last month, but haven't suffered much from the decision. They lost three games on the Cardinals, but ended up paying a much lower price to upgrade their offense for the stretch run. They didn't have to part with a top prospect and the assumed contracts  ($1.23 million) are marginal.