The Pittsburgh Pirates were able to reach deals with first basemen Garrett Jones and Gaby Sanchez on Friday.
Jones has been with the Pirates since 2009 and has been a bright spot for their offense. If nothing else, Jones has been consistent. Last season he batted .274, hitting 27 homers and driving in 86 runs. Both were well above his average as the 27 homeruns were a career high and 86 RBI’s tie a career major league high for Jones. On the field he was just as confident. He posted a fielding percentage of .991 and only recording 5 errors. The deal was for one year, $4.5 million. The deal comes just one year after going through arbitration and earning a salary of $2.25 million for the year. Obviously, he’s earned a raise.
Gabby Sanchez was awarded a one year deal worth $1.75 million. He’s hoping to get on the field more and to start playing with a little more flare. The former Marlin only played 50 games for the Pirates last season but hit .241. Maybe playing behind Jones will help the both of them to step their game up and play competitively for playing time.
Next on the Pirates list is second baseman Neil Walker and pitcher James McDonald. Walker has elevated his play and is becoming one of the top middle infielders in the game right now. Walker hit 14 home runs while batting .280 last season. McDonald went 12-8 last season on the hill, racking up 151 strikeouts and posting a 4.21 ERA.
Photo Credit: mlbereports.com
