Pirates Sign Nate McLouth
The Pirates have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Nate McLouth, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It's a big league deal worth $1.75MM, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates have officially announced the signing.
The deal represents a reunion for the Pirates and McLouth, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2000 and spent nearly a decade in the organization before being traded to the Braves in 2009. After a disappointing two and a half year stint in Atlanta, the Braves declined McLouth's option for 2012, making him a free agent.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported earlier today that the Pirates were getting close to a deal to bring back McLouth.
Pirates Designate Pedro Ciriaco For Assignment
The Pirates designated infielder Pedro Ciriaco, announced the Pirates in a press release making the Nate McLouth signing official. Ciriaco, 26, was acquired from Arizona in a 2010 trade deadline deal for Chris Snyder. He struggled offensively this year in Triple-A, playing mostly the middle infield positions.
Pirates Designate Jason Jaramillo For Assignment
The Pirates designated catcher Jason Jaramillo for assignment today upon announcing the Erik Bedard signing, according to a press release. Jaramillo, 29, hit .276/.368/.373 in 155 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
Pirates Sign Erik Bedard
The Pirates have agreed to sign lefty Erik Bedard, MLBTR has confirmed. Canadian journalist Marc Brassard first tweeted news of an impending $4.5MM deal, and the Pirates have since announced the deal. Bedard is represented by SFX.
Bedard, 32, is coming off his healthiest season since 2007. This year for the Mariners and Red Sox he posted a 3.62 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.97 HR/9, and 42% groundball rate in 129 1/3 innings. He missed time with knee and lat sprains, which wasn't too bad after shoulder surgeries limited him to 164 innings for 2008-09. The signing has upside for the Pirates, who needed some depth after losing Paul Maholm to free agency. Additionally, Charlie Morton had hip surgery in October and could miss the start of the season.
Pirates Sign Jose Morales
The Pirates announced today they've signed catcher Jose Morales to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted the near-agreement last night.
Morales, 28, has a .289/.365/.344 career batting line in 252 big league plate appearances for the Twins and Rockies. This year at Triple-A he hit .264/.350/.380 in 295 plate appearances.
Pirates Close To Deal With Jose Morales
The Pirates are close to a deal with switch-hitting catcher Jose Morales, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Morales, who turns 29 in February, is a career .289/.365/.344 hitter through 252 plate appearances with the Twins and Rockies. He's also seen time at first base in his Major League career.
NL Central Rumors: Astros, Reds, Saito, Bedard
Tuesday night updates out of the NL Central, as MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings continues….
- Rival executives view Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett as the favorite for the Astros' GM job, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner hears (Twitter link) that the Astros may select a reliever with the first pick of Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty talked about the team's search for pitching, and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has the quotes. Jocketty also said Edgar Renteria's reps had contacted him, but the Reds probably aren't interested in signing him.
- All signs are pointing to the Brewers bringing back Takashi Saito on a one-year deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Erik Bedard is drawing interest from the Pirates, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Pirates Close To Deals With Betemit, McLouth
4:41pm: The Pirates are closing in on a one-year deal with McLouth, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She adds that the agreement isn't expected to be finalized until Wednesday.
4:14pm: The Pirates are moving closer to deals with Wilson Betemit and Nate McLouth, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
We heard yesterday about Pittsburgh's interest in a reunion with McLouth, who hit .228/.344/.333 in 321 appearances with the Braves this season. Betemit, meanwhile, did not receive an arbitration offer from the Tigers and hit the free agent market coming off a season in which he posted a .795 OPS in 359 plate appearances in Detroit and Kansas City.
Pirates, Mariners, Twins Interested In Jeff Francis
1:06pm: Francis' agent will also meet with the Pirates and Twins this week, tweets Morosi.
TUESDAY, 11:04am: The Mariners will meet today with Francis' agent, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Francis is represented by Frontline, as our agency database shows.
MONDAY, 12:09pm: The Mariners are also interested in Francis, tweets Morosi. Additionally, the Ms have interest in old favorite Jamie Moyer.
11:19am: The Pirates are among the teams with interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Bucs were in on Francis a year ago, but with a healthy season in the books he'll certainly require more than a one-year, $2MM guarantee this time.
The Pirates also reportedly have interest in free agent pitchers Wei-Yin Chen, Tsuyoshi Wada, and Aaron Cook.
Four Teams Checked In On Mark DeRosa
MONDAY: The Giants have expressed interest in re-signing DeRosa, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
FRIDAY: Mark DeRosa doesn't expect any team to guarantee him an everyday job, but he does want the chance to prove that his left wrist is healthy. The free agent utility player told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Nationals, Rangers, Indians and Pirates have all spoken with his surgeon and that the Giants have some interest in re-signing him despite his recent injury.
“I definitely understand the concerns," DeRosa told Rosenthal. "If it wasn’t for my wrist getting banged up two years ago, I wouldn’t be in this position.”
DeRosa played in just 47 games in 2011 because of a strained left wrist. The versatile 36-year-old was productive in 2009, posting a .250/.319/.433 line and appearing at five different positions for the Indians and Cardinals. However, he has struggled to stay on the field since signing a two-year deal with the Giants two Decembers ago. When he did play for the Giants, DeRosa posted a forgettable .235/.313/.279 line.
DeRosa, who would like to be closer to his Atlanta home, may have to sign a minor league deal and play his way onto a roster next spring.