The Pittsburgh Pirates avoided arbitration with nine players prior to Friday's deadline, but still have to go to arbitration hearings with three others. The team was unable to agree to deals with Neal Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Vance Worley and will go to arbitration hearings next month. Most arbitration cases end with the player receiving the mid-point amount between his and the team's one-year contract offer. Walker's camp filed at $9 million while the Pirates countered at $8 million ... Read More
Pirates finalize deal with Kang
The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed infielder Jung Ho Kang (pronounced “GAHNG”) to a four-year, $11 million deal with a $5.5 million club option for the 2019 season. The 27-year-old Kang hit .356 (149-for-418) with 36 doubles, 40 home runs and 117 RBI in 117 games with the Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) in 2014. He led the league in slugging percentage (.739) and OPS (1.198) while ranking second in on-base percentage (.459), home runs and total bases (309). "First I ... Read More
Kang to sign with Pirates
Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates as reported by Jim Bowden of ESPN. Kang has agreed to terms with Pirates 4yrs with 5th yr option at approx 16m — Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) January 12, 2015 Kang is expected to fly to Pittsburgh and undergo a physical on Thursday or Friday. If he signs with the team and passes the physical, he will stay in Pittsburgh as reported by Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency out of Seoul, South ... Read More
Pirates invite eight to Spring Training, close to deal with Kang
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Friday that they have signed RHP Wilfredo Boscan and LHP Charlie Leesman to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League camp. Boscan, 25, posted a 3.66 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 17 walks in 22 appearances (66 1/3 innings) between Class AA Portland and Class AAA Pawtucket (Red Sox). Boscan has spent eight years in the minors between the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. Leesman, 27, made one start for the Chicago White Sox ... Read More
2015 Pirates very early preview
Now that the holiday season has come and gone — and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday — it is time to start preparing for the 2015 baseball season. Yes, it is only the first week of the new year and it's still cold enough outside to freeze the Allegheny, but it's never to early to discuss the fast-approaching season which is now less than 90 days away. It has already been a busy offseason for the Pirates with the acquisitions of Francisco Cervelli, Corey Hart, Radhames Liz, Brad Lincoln ... Read More
Pirates Top 10 plays of 2014
The 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates showed that their playoff run from a year earlier was not a joke. With the help of these plays, the team was able to host the NL Wild Card game for a second straight year. On Thanksgiving, PSN gave you the Top 10 games from the 2014 season. We now give you the Top 10 plays from 2014. 10) Mercer & Walker turn acrobatic double play -- July 28th Jordy Mercer and Neil Walker showed off their fielding skills on a near disastrous double play try that turned into a ... Read More
Pirates win bidding for Korean SS Kang
The Pittsburgh Pirates have won the bidding to negotiate a contract with Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). The bid submitted by the Pirates was just over $5 million, which more than double the expected bid of $2 million as reported by Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, South Korea. Per source: Nexen was expecting about $2 million in posting (low expectations after two KBO players before Kang got around that money) — Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) ... Read More
Pirates sign Corey Hart
The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free agent first basemen/outfielder Corey Hart to a one-year/$2.5 million deal plus $2.5 million in incentives as reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Corey hart gets $2.5M from pirates, plus $2.5M in incentives — Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 19, 2014 Hart posted a .203/.271/.319 slash line with a .590 OPS and nine doubles, six home runs and 21 RBI in 68 games with the Seattle Mariners last season (55 starts as DH, seven in RF, two at 1B ... Read More
Volquez to sign with Royals, Morton expects to be ready for Opening Day
The Pirates have completed their annual CARE-a-van and PirateFest and now set their sights to pitchers and catchers reporting in mid-February. While it seems that the roster is mostly set acquisition-wise, there could still be a few minor moves made over the winter. Volquez to sign with Royals There have been reports that Edinson Volquez has signed a 2-year/$20 million contract with the Kansas City Royals (pending physical). The chances of Volquez re-signing with the Pirates to a ... Read More
2014 MLB Winter Meetings recap
The Pittsburgh Pirates went into the 2014 MLB Winter Meetings with a goal to upgrade their pitching staff and by the end of the 3 1/2 day schedule, they seemed to have done just that. The week started off slow with the only acquisition being a waiver claim of former A's minor league left-handed starter Josh Lindblom. Things did pick up, however, when the club was able to re-sign Francisco Liriano to a 3-year/$39 million contract hours before the free agent pitching market was ... Read More