PITTSBURGH – One year ago, the Pirates took a lot of heat for the trade that sent pitcher Sean Burnett and outfielder Nyjer Morgan to the Washington Nationals in return for pitcher Joel Hanrahan and outfielder Lastings Milledge. After all, Burnett and Morgan were very good in the final months of the season. Hanrahan and Milledge, not so much.

After Morgan was socked with an eight-game suspension as a result of his latest on-field meltdown on Friday, though, I had to think that the Pirates would do it over again in a heartbeat.

See, that's why you don't judge trades after a few weeks or a few months or even a few years sometimes.

"Nyjer plays the game with a lot of passion, a lot of fire," his former Pirates manager John Russell said on Friday afternoon. 

Passion and fire? Lately, it has been more like downright bizarre and silly.

First, Morgan heaved a ball at a fan in the stands. He took out a defenseless catcher for no good reason. (Even his manager called it unacceptable, which almost never happened.) He separated the shoulder of another one in a mindless collision at home plate. He stole second and third bases in a blowout situation, and when the opponent pitcher threw behind him because of it, he charged the mound. Give him this much: He spotted the guy eight inches.

Wait, wasn't Milledge supposed to be the bad apple in the deal? Compared to Morgan, a former hockey player, Milledge is Lady Byng material.

Unless I could move Morgan to the Penguins in return for a high draft pick, I wouldn't trade Milledge for him straight up right now.

As we know, Milledge has been a disappointment as a power hitter so far. Nonetheless, from his .272 batting average to .328 on-base percentage, his numbers are better than those of Morgan virtually across the board. What Morgan does best is steal bases. Even then, he gets throw out a lot – 15 times in 48 attempts. Neither has been much to brag about in the field.

Here's the difference: At 30, Morgan is a fourth or fifth outfielder on a good team. At 25, Milledge has a chance to get to the next level eventually.

Never mind Milledge and Morgan, though. At the time, I considered Hanrahan to be the key to the deal. I still feel that way. Guys that throw in the mid-90s consistently and have closer potential are hard to come by these days. At 28, Hanrahan has to prove that he can handle the role on a full-time basis, but for now, it's impossible to dismiss his upside.

The 27-year-old Burnett has pitched better than his 0-7 record indicates at the moment. Nonetheless, finesse left-handers that have trouble against lefty hitters aren't in great demand exactly.

Maybe a year from now, the pendulum will swing back the other way, but I doubt it. Until then, from the Pirates standpoint, the deal has to be considered a good one.