Nick Piecoro

azcentral sports

The Diamondbacks capped a busy month of trades by swinging one last deal prior to Thursday afternoon's non-waiver deadline, sending third baseman Martin Prado to the New York Yankees in exchange for minor league slugger Peter O'Brien and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Earlier in the day, the Diamondbacks traded outfielder Gerardo Parra to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for two prospects, outfielder Mitch Haniger and left-hander Anthony Banda.

O'Brien is an interesting offensive prospect, but his limitations suggest this deal was as much about money as anything. By unloading Prado, the Diamondbacks save about $3.6 million this year and are off the hook for $11 million in each of the next two seasons.

Prado was the centerpiece of the deal that sent outfielder Justin Upton to the Atlanta Braves prior to last season. He did not play poorly in his year-plus with the Diamondbacks, but he also fell short of expectations. After hitting .282 with a .750 OPS (on-base plus slugging) last season, he was hitting just .270 with a .686 OPS at the time of the trade. Prado hit .296 with a .784 OPS in the previous five years he spent with the Atlanta Braves.

O'Brien has split time this season between High-A and Double-A and has combined to hit .267 with 33 homers and 70 RBIs. He slammed 22 homers in 2013 after hitting 10 in 52 games in 2012.

There are no questions about his power; his defense, however, is another matter. He is listed as a catcher, but there are concerns about his ability to remain behind the plate. Since they promoted O'Brien to Double-A, the Yankees had him playing more first base than catcher.?

Earlier this month, the Diamondbacks shipped right-hander Brandon McCarthy to the Yankees and left-hander Joe Thatcher to the Los Angeles Angels.

All told, the trades saved about $8.2 million in salary this year, plus $11 million each of the next two years, not to mention what Parra might have made in arbitration (between $6 million and $7 million).?