In baseball, trades are evaluated based on the performance of the players involved. Unfortunately, when Travis Snider was traded away from Pittsburgh to Baltimore in the offseason, there was a lot of overreaction from Pirate fans. Fans did not want to let things play out and see how each player in the trade would perform in the 2015 campaign.

All that would be heard is that Neal Huntington made a bad trade and that letting Snider go for two low-level minor leaguers was foolish. The Pirates received Stephen Tarpley and Steven Brault from the Orioles, both left-handed pitchers, in exchange for Snider back in January.

Tarpley has pitched himself to a nice 10-2 record with an ERA of just 2.14 so far in 2015 pitching for low-A West Virginia in the Pirates system. Tarpley also has a WHIP of just a tad over 1.00. Steven Brault, who is pitching for double-A Altoona, has started eleven games thus far in 2015. Brault is 6-3 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.119 WHIP in 2015 to go along with a 9.3 SO/9 ratio. Neal Huntington seems like he knew what he was doing when he dealt Snider. On Wednesday, he proved that and solidified it by re-signing Snider after the Orioles had recently released him.

Snider hit .237 in 211 at-bats with three home runs and ten runs batted in during his time with Baltimore this year. Some have suggested that Snider could have helped out and maybe helped to win a few more games with the Pirates early on in April and May, particularly because right fielder Gregory Polanco was struggling early on.

At this point, there is no doubt that Polanco is the guy for the Pirates in right. Snider was signed to a minor-league deal so he understands his role coming back to the Pirates organization. The Pirates seem like they are interested in bringing Snider up from triple-A Indianapolis when the MLB rosters expand on September 1st in time for the postseason.

When evaluating this move, it's safe to say this is a good move by the Pirates and GM Neal Huntington. He has endured criticism all year, from the trade of Snider, to not getting another starter at the arm because he was unable to somehow know that one of his better pitchers, A.J. Burnett, was going to struggle after the All-Star Break and ultimately end up on the disabled list. But what remains constant in all of the criticism is Huntington's approach.

Throughout all the criticism, not that he should or even does listen to it, Huntington has always stuck to his guns and rolled the dice with the strategy he believes will bring a lot of winning to Pittsburgh. Whatever that strategy may be, it is definitely working for Huntington and the team he has helped to build into contenders. The Pirates are not winning World Series crowns, but they are not far away from being there.

This signing on Wednesday was not a move that instantly propels the Pirates to the top or makes their odds for the World Series much better. With the Pirates bench being very thin before the trade deadline, the moves to acquire Aramis Ramirez and Michael Morse helped with that problem while Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison rehab from injuries. With Snider lurking in the minor-leagues, he is another bat and body to have that can come off the bench to pinch-hit.

Once again, amongst all the criticism, Neal Huntington believed in what he was doing and that's why the Pirates are where they are as an organization right now. Huntington, though he pays no mind to those who criticized the move, just silenced a lot more critics with the re-acquiring of Snider seven months after he was dealt.