PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates traded first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox on Wednesday for Double-A shortstop Argenis Diaz and Class A right-hander Hunter Strickland.

Pittsburgh was known to be looking for a suitor for LaRoche, who is earning $7.05 million this year and can be a first-time free agent after the season. The Pirates were not expected to make a strong attempt to re-sign him.

Speculation that LaRoche was on his way out first surfaced on Wednesday morning when the Pirates did not post their lineup until less than one hour before the 12:35 p.m. ET scheduled first pitch.

Diaz, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2003, is hitting .253 with 24 RBIs in 76 Double-A games this season. Diaz, 22, split last season between Class A and Double-A.

Strickland, an 18th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, is 5-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 18 appearances (12 starts) at the low Class A level. He has 51 strikeouts and 13 walks in 83 1/3 innings.

Diaz will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis and Strickland will join Class A West Virginia.

LaRoche, mired in a July slump, has hit .247 with a team-high 12 homers and 40 RBIs this season. In Boston, he'll be reunited with former Pittsburgh teammate Jason Bay, who was dealt there at this time last season.