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Pirates Sign Matt Diaz

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The Pirates have signed Matt Diaz to a two-year deal, the team announced today. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) first reported the agreement, which is worth approximately $4.25MM, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, Mariners, Blue Jays, and Yankees also had interest in the outfielder, according to reports earlier this week.  Agent Larry Reynolds represents Diaz. 

The 32-year-old handles lefties well and could become a complement to Garrett Jones, who handles righties well. Diaz has a .335/.373/.533 line against southpaws in his career, though he bats just .269/.327/.382 against right-handers. The Braves non-tendered Diaz earlier in the month, making him a free agent. Diaz has experience in right field, but he has spent most of his big league career in left.

Pirates Sign Lyle Overbay

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The Pirates signed first baseman Lyle Overbay to a one-year, $5MM deal, the team announced.  Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review provided the amount.  The statement from GM Neal Huntington:

"Lyle Overbay is solid major league player and we expect him to have a positive impact on our club offensively, defensively, and in the clubhouse."

The Pirates primarily used Garrett Jones at first base in 2010, but they expressed a desire to add a right-handed hitting complement.  Overbay doesn't fit that description; GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch the new plan is to have Jones could pair up with new acquisition Matt Diaz in right field.  Overbay will be the everyday first baseman.

Overbay, 34 in January, hit .243/.329/.433 in 607 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year.  His performance picked up after a rough start.  Overbay is represented by Octagon.

Pirates Moving Close To Agreement With Lyle Overbay

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11:44am: The Pirates are moving close to an agreement with Overbay, tweets Morosi.

8:37am: The Pirates have been talking with free agent first baseman Lyle Overbay, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  He says it's not clear whether they're making progress on a deal.

The Pirates primarily used Garrett Jones at first base in 2010, but they've expressed a desire to add a right-handed hitting complement.  Overbay doesn't fit that description, though Jones could pair up with Matt Diaz in right field if Ryan Doumit is traded.

Overbay, 34 in January, hit .243/.329/.433 in 607 plate appearances for the Blue Jays this year.

Odds & Ends: Rivera, Mets, Bruce, Orioles, Dodgers

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Links for Sunday….

Odds & Ends: Guerrier, McCutchen, Blue Jays, Punto

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As the baseball world says goodbye to Cubs great Ron Santo, here are some news tidbits heading into the weekend…

Pirates Sign Scott Olsen

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The Pirates signed lefty Scott Olsen, the team announced.  Olsen will earn about $500K with a chance to make another $3MM in incentives based on starts.  The deal includes a $4MM club option for 2012.  Olsen is represented by Sosnick Cobbe Sports.

Olsen, 27 in January, posted a 5.56 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 46.5% groundball rate in 81 innings for the Nationals this year.  He had labrum surgery in July of '09, and shoulder soreness lingered into the 2010 season.  He pitched well through his first seven starts, with a 3.15 ERA in those 40 innings.  ESPN's Keith Law wrote, "To have value to the Pirates he'll need to locate his fastball better and improve his barely-average changeup." 

Olsen joins Kevin Correia as the new members of Pittsburgh's rotation, which lost Zach Duke to a trade and could see Paul Maholm depart as well.  Ross Ohlendorf and James McDonald figure to take a couple of spots.

MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch first reported on Monday that a deal was close and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the agreement.

Pirates Close To Deal For Kawakami?

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THURSDAY, 9:35am: The Pirates seem to be close to a deal for Kawakami, tweets Biertempfel.  He says money is one issue, as is the possibility of the Pirates moving Paul Maholm.

1:10pm: The Braves are trying to see whether the Pirates or Orioles will pick up more of Kawakami's salary, tweets Biertempfel.

WEDNESDAY, 11:39am: The Pirates and Braves are still discussing a Kawakami trade, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

TUESDAY, 2:41pm: A Braves-Orioles Kawakami deal won't happen, tweets Connolly.

12:54pm: The Braves appear destined to unload righty Kenshin Kawakami, picking up much of the $6.67MM tab.  The Pirates were linked to Kawakami yesterday, but Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review feels they may have cooled on him given the deals for Kevin Correia and Scott Olsen.  Biertempfel says the Orioles are in the mix; Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the two teams have talked several times.

Kawakami is not the only available Braves starter; David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that they'd trade Brandon Beachy in the right deal.

Pirates Acquire Valdez From D’Backs To Complete Duke Trade

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The Pirates acquired righty Cesar Valdez from the Diamondbacks to complete the Zach Duke trade, the team announced on Twitter.

Valdez, 26 in March, tossed 20 innings for Arizona this year as a rookie.  He also did his second Triple-A stint, posting a 5.90 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, and 1.1 HR/9 in 97 2/3 innings.  Heading into the '09 season, Baseball America ranked Valdez seventh among Diamondbacks prospects.  They called his changeup "a legitimate plus pitch" and labeled him a potential back-rotation starter.

The Diamondbacks acquired Duke from the Pirates in November after he'd been designated for assignment.  I'm guessing the Pirates' return was contingent on the D'Backs hammering out a deal with the arbitration eligible lefty, which they did for a $4.25MM guarantee.

Rule 5 Draft Links

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This year's Rule 5 draft kicks off in about an hour.  Here are a couple of free preview-type links from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball America's John Manuel.  We'll cover the Major League phase here at MLBTR.  Draft order is determined based on the reverse order of 2010 records.

Pirates Rumors: Maholm, Hall, Doumit, Colon

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The Pirates appear to have added Kevin Correia, Matt Diaz, and possibly Scott Olsen at the Winter Meetings, and they're not done.  They've made an offer to Kevin Gregg and have also been linked to Aaron Heilman, Jeremy Accardo, Justin Duchscherer, and Brendan Ryan.  The latest:

  • The Pirates are offering Paul Maholm in potential trades, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).
  • The Rockies aren't interested in Doumit, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • Nick Cafardo implies that the Pirates have an offer out to Bill Hall and he could become their regular second baseman, which would be surprising to me given Neil Walker's presence. MLBTR has learned that Hall would not displace Walker at second if the Pirates sign him.
  • The Pirates are trying hard to trade Ryan Doumit and are willing to eat salary, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
  • The Pirates are currently scouting Bartolo Colon in the Dominican Republic, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  For more on Colon, check out Nick Collias' November article.
  • Kovacevic says the Pirates expressed interest in utility man Alfredo Amezaga, but it's "pretty preliminary."  Amezaga is trying to come back from microfracture knee surgery performed in July of last year.  He appeared in one minor league game in 2010.
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