Aaron Heilman's free agency stint didn't last long. After being released by the Phillies yesterday, the veteran right-hander inked a minor league deal with the Pirates, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). He will report to the club's Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Heilman struggled mightily as a member of the Diamondbacks' bullpen this year, pitching to a 6.88 ERA through 35 1/3 innings. His brief time with the Phillies didn't go any better, as he posted an 8.38 ERA through 9 2/3 innings for their Triple-A affiliate.
Heilman maintaned solid strikeout numbers (8.4 K/9) in Arizona, and was predominantly plagued by a fluky HR/FB rate of 20%. League average is around 10%, roughly Heilman's career mark entering 2010. He can still miss enough bats to contribute in the future if he can get back to keeping the ball in the park.
Ugh, I wished they’d held the mayo.