The Pirates designated Garrett Jones and Kyle McPherson for assignment, according to Tom Singer of MLB.com (on Twitter). The move comes on the heels of Pittsburgh's acquisition of Jaff Decker and Miles Mikolas from San Diego.
Jones, 32, owns a career .254/.316/.458 slash line across six big league seasons. The first baseman/outfielder had a down year in 2013, however, hitting .233/.289/.419 in 440 plate appearances. Jones was due $5.3MM in arbitration this winter, according to MLBTR's Matt Swartz, making him a non-tender candidate. Still, Jones has cleared 20 homers in three of his five seasons with the Bucs and he should draw interest as a platoon bat with power.
McPherson, 26, was sidelined for most of last season, making just two minor league starts. He underwent Tommy John surgery on July 10 this year, making it unlikely that he's able to contribute much in 2014. In 25 career starts at the Double-A level, McPherson owns a 3.39 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
