It has been a busy 24 hours for Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, who had a bit of roster cleaning to do prior to Thursday's deadline to protect players prior to the Rule 5 Draft. The biggest news of the past 24 hours, although it isn't much of a surprise, came when the Pirates designated first baseman Ike Davis for assignment. Davis struggled with the Pirates after coming over in a mid-season trade with the New York Mets, posting a .235/.343/.378 slash and only 10 home ... Read More
What direction should Pirates go in free agency
Now that we know that Russell Martin will not be in a Pirates uniform next season, it's time to look ahead to what the organization could do in free agency. With the additions of A.J. Burnett ($8.5 million) and Francisco Cervelli ($1.1 million), the team's Major League payroll sits around $75 million — according to arbitration figures by Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors — which is about the same number the team had at the end of last season. These numbers are expected to go up this season, ... Read More
Pirates make 10 minor league signings
The Pirates made 10 minor league signings Tuesday with six getting invites to spring training. One name included is RHP Brad Lincoln, who the Pirates traded to the Blue Jays in 2012 in exchange for Travis Snider. Lincoln went 2-2 in 46 appearances for the Blue Jays with a 4.77 ERA in 60 1/3 innings with 53 strikeouts and 32 walks. He spent 2014 as a starter in the Phillies minor league organization. Minor league signings with invites to spring training: RHP Collin Balester LHP Jeremy ... Read More
Pirates ink Brad Lincoln to minor league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates once spent the No. 4 overall pick on Brad Lincoln. Tuesday, they brought the right-hander back to Pittsburgh, signing Lincoln to a minor league deal, nearly a decade after using a top pick on the Texas native. Lincoln turned out to be a bust as a starter, but turned into a nice reliever for the Pirates, posting a 2.73 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched during the 2012 season. During that season Lincoln was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline in the deal ... Read More
Pirates sign A.J. Burnett to one-year deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to be active in the free agent market by signing A.J. Burnett to a one-year $8.5 million contract. Burnett went 26-21 with a 3.41 ERA and 389 strikeouts in 61 starts (393 1/3 IP) for the Pirates during his two-year stint with the club between 2012-2013. Burnett opted out of a $12.75 million club option with the Phillies to pitch for a contender. Follow @TBerardi_PSN (Photo Credit: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images) ... Read More
McCutchen finishes third in NL MVP voting
Pirates star center fielder Andrew McCutchen placed third in NL MVP voting behind Giancarlo Stanton and MVP Clayton Kershaw. The MVP is determined by members of the BBWAA. It is the first time since 1968 (Bob Gibson) that a pitcher has won an MVP award. Kershaw received 18/30 first place votes while Stanton received eight and McCutchen received four. McCutchen had another stellar year, despite a trip to the DL due to a rib injury, posting a slash line of .314/.410/.542 and an OPS of ... Read More
Pirates trade Justin Wilson to Yankees for Francisco Cervelli
The Pittsburgh Pirates have made their first major move of the 2014 offseason trading LHP Justin Wilson to the New York Yankees for C Francisco Cervelli as confirmed by the PG's Bill Brink. #Pirates trade LHP Justin Wilson to #Yankees for C Francisco Cervelli, source confirms. @JonHeymanCBS and @Joelsherman1 had first. — Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) November 13, 2014 Cervelli — considered one of the better pitch-framers last season — played in 49 games last season posting a .301/.370/.432 ... Read More
Hurdle finishes second in NL Manager of the Year Award voting
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle finished second behind Nationals manager Matt Williams for the NL Manager of the Year Award as voted on by members of the BBWAA. Hurdle received 8 first place votes which ranked second behind Williams (18). Hurdle led the Pirates to an 88-74 record and a second place finish behind the Cardinals (90-72) and a second consecutive NL Wild Card appearance at PNC Park. Hurdle was able to keep the ship afloat despite many injuries to key players over the course of ... Read More
Pirates trade pitchers with Rockies
The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired right-handed pitcher Rob Scahill from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Shane Carle. The 27-year-old Scahill went 1-0 with a 4.80 ERA (15.0ip/8er) in 12 relief appearances with the Rockies in 2014 and 2-3 with two saves and a 4.32 ERA (58.1ip/28er) in 41 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs. He made eight of his big league appearances with Colorado in September. Originally selected by Colorado in the eighth round of the ... Read More
Liriano to reject qualifying offer
Francisco Liriano has rejected the Pirates qualifying offer of $15.3 million as reported by Robert Murray. Francisco Liriano will reject the $15.3 million qualifying offer from the #Pirates, per league source. — Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayMLB) November 10, 2014 The #Pirates have not been informed on Liriano's decision, but he will reject the qualifying offer, I'm told. — Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayMLB) November 10, 2014 Liriano — who had until 5 p.m. Monday to ... Read More