The Pittsburgh Pirates got a big boost from Travis Snider against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday night.

Here’s a clip of his big home run:

– Rick Green

Going into today’s trade deadline, the need for the Pittsburgh Pirates was obvious: get a power hitter.

They did that with the acquisition of outfielder Travis Snider from the Blue Jays.

In exchange for Snider, the Pirates send Toronto pitcher Brad Lincoln.

“We think Travis will fit in well with us in right (field),” Pirates GM Neal Huntington said. “He’s a hard-nosed player with power who likes to use the whole field and can make pitchers pay for their mistakes.”

With Snider, the Pirates have someone to step into the outfield right away. It should give them a starting outfield of Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Snider.

I like the look of that.

Snider has serious power potential, something missing from this team. The big question is whether this helps more for this year or 2013.

Lincoln has emerged as a very good reliever this season. He could be a future closer for Toronto.

However, it’s easier to find a reliever than it is to get a power hitter.

Snider, 24, hit 14 home runs in 2010 with the Jays in 298 at-bats. A lefty, Snider hit .335 with 13 home runs in the hitter-friendly PCL this season.

Long term, I like the deal a lot. MLBtraderumors.com reports that Snider is under team control through 2016, which is a big plus for the budget-constrained Pirates.

That gives the Bucs a legit home-run threat for a few years.

The downside is the Pirates enter the final two months of the season with a rookie in left and an unproven player in right. That’s a big risk, but it could work out this season and beyond.

– Rick Green