51s’ LaRoche relates to trade

For most players, getting traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Boston Red Sox is like getting paroled.

But when former Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche learned Wednesday he'd been dealt to the Red Sox, he was disappointed.

Not because the move would send him from a perennial last-place team to a contender.

But because it meant he'd no longer be playing alongside his little brother, Andy LaRoche, Pittsburgh's starting third baseman, who was dealt to the Pirates from the Los Angeles Dodgers last season as part of the Manny Ramirez trade.

"He was just disappointed he was leaving Andy," Las Vegas pitching coach Dave LaRoche, Adam's and Andy's father, said Wednesday before the 51s' dramatic 10-8 comeback win over Colorado Springs at Cashman Field. "That was his first reaction, and probably ours as a family, that we were sorry to see the two of them split up.

"He said it was tough saying goodbye. ... But that's baseball, and he was probably going to go somewhere anyway by the end of the year."

In that respect, Wednesday's trade was a relief for Adam LaRoche, 29, who will be a free agent after this season and had suspected he'd be dealt.

"I think it was wearing on him, too," said Dave LaRoche, who was traded four times during his 14-year career in the majors. "You almost feel like an outsider with the team you're with (when you're waiting to get traded)."

While it will be bittersweet for Adam LaRoche to leave his brother behind in Pittsburgh, he'll be greeted by several former teammates in Boston in Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, John Smoltz and Nick Green, along with friend Brad Penny.

"He knows a lot of the guys, and when it sinks in and he gets in the pennant race and sees the excitement of playing at Fenway (Park) ... and getting in the Red Sox-Yankees (rivalry) ... it will be fun for him and exciting," said Dave LaRoche, who pitched for the Yankees in the 1981 World Series.

Dave LaRoche said he spoke with Adam -- a left-handed batter with a .247 average, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 86 games this season -- "about hitting at Fenway Park and how it should be good for him."

He said he was only able to exchange text messages with Andy after Wednesday's trade and described his youngest son as "disappointed and a little mad, maybe."

But he said his sons are grateful for their time together in Pittsburgh.

"I think Andy's got his feet on the ground and has somewhat gotten comfortable, and that's good. He's grateful that Adam was there to help him through some tough times," Dave LaRoche said. "They'll miss playing with each other, but ... I think they're happy for the time they did play together and maybe in the future, some day, they'll play together again."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.