the Chicago Cubs went dealing again with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, acquiring outfielder Matt Lawton just before the trade deadline. The Cubs sent outfielder Jody Gerut -- whom they obtained in a trade with Cleveland on July 18 -- to the Pirates. "I just hope it works out like it did in '03," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Sunday. "I think it makes sense for both clubs. I have a good relationship with [Pirates GM] Dave Littlefield and he's a smart guy who had to do it under difficult circumstances financially." In July two years ago, the Cubs worked a trade with the Pirates to acquire Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton and they helped lead Chicago to the National League Championship Series and mere outs from the World Series. The Cubs are just 53-52 after losing for the third time in four games on Sunday to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but are still hopeful of winning the NL wild card. Lawton was 0-for-4 Sunday, including a game-ending strikeout as the Pirates lost in Atlanta. He was batting .273 with 10 homers and 44 RBI for the Pirates and has also played for Twins (1995-01), the Mets (2001) and the Indians (2002-04). His on-base percentage of .382 was especially appealing to the Cubs. Manager Dusty Baker said he didn't know until talking with Lawton if he would bat leadoff, but was glad to have his bat. "Matt's a good ball player and we're doing whatever we can to shore ourselves up. Hopefully he can come over here and rejuvenate our offense," Baker said. Lawton left the Pirates clubhouse in Atlanta still waiting for official confirmation of the deal, but seemed resigned to moving on. "I just love to play baseball," Lawton said. "I'll be going to a contender. You can't ask for more than that. It's the best of both worlds."