The Pirates announced on Thursday that they’ve declined a club option on right-hander Radhames Liz, who is now a free agent.
Liz, 32, returned to the Major Leagues in 2015 with Pittsburgh, making his first appearance since 2009. He’s bounced around the minor leagues and enjoyed a nice three-year run in Korea in the interim, which led to Liz receiving a Major League deal and a $1MM guarantee with the Bucs last winter despite a five-year absence from the Majors.
In 23 1/3 innings with the Pirates this year, Liz worked to a 4.24 ERA with a 27-to-12 K/BB ratio, averaging an excellent 94.7 mph on his fastball. Liz dominated the Triple-A level this season over the course of 64 1/3 innings, logging a terrific 1.40 ERA with 10.4 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. While Liz may not have had the big league success that he or the Pirates hoped for in 2015, his high velocity and penchant for missing bats figures to garner some interest around the Majors this offseason.
