Hanrahan Had Been 'Preparing For Trade For 2 Years'
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – The Pittsburgh Pirates officially traded closer Joel Hanrahan to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday as part of a six-player deal.
On Thursday, Hanrahan spoke with Colin Dunlap and Jim Colony on The Fan Morning Show about his time in Pittsburgh and the future in Boston.
Hanrahan reflected on what made him become a better pitcher over the last couple of years and chalked it up to some mechanical adjustments.
"I have no idea. I made some changes when I first got to Pittsburgh in 2009, made some mechanical adjustments, just got more confident," Hanrahan said. "[My pitching coach] suggested I lower my hands to around my waist."
The trade talks began to heat up during the Winter Meetings, which was tough for Hanrahan to hear.
- Listen to the full interview here:
"The winter meetings were tough," Hanrahan said. "You hear the rumors going on all the time. You don't really know what's going on. There were a couple of reports that came out during the Winter Meetings that I wasn't a fan of."
With Hanrahan now on his way to Boston, it seems pretty clear that Jason Grilli will be taking over the closer role for the Pirates.
"I think Jason Grilli will be fine [closing]. He had a great year last year. If he continues to do what he did, he'll be fine," Grilli said.
Despite being traded, Hanrahan feels the Pirates are moving in the right direction and thinks the next two years will be very big for the club.
"They're trying to win right now," Hanrahan said. "Obviously, they feel that these two years are going to be big for them."
As a result, he thinks the 20-year losing streak is not far from over.
Hanrahan wouldn't comment on whether the team would be better with him still on the squad, but said the trade did not come as a surprise.
"I've been prepared to get traded for the past two years. I know how the system works. I know how the business works," Hanrahan said. "The Pirates put a fire on me in 2009, it worked out, and now it's time for the Red Sox."
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