Joel Hanrahan originally joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization back in 2009. The Bucs acquired him and Lastings Milledge from the Washington Nationals for outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-handed reliever Sean Burnett. It was in 2011 when Hanrahan took over as the Pittsburgh Pirates closer.
The move turned out to be a great one for the Bucs. The big right hander turned into one of the best closers in the National League. He recorded 40 saves in 2011 and was selected to the all-star game. Furthermore, he had posted a very impressive ERA of 1.