Francisco Liriano's Unique Deal Finally Official

Francisco Liriano has finally signed with the Pirates and his reconstructed contract is certainly unique. While Liriano can still earn the full $12.75M over two years that was agreed before Christmas, he’s now guaranteed just $1M over one year due to the injury to his non-pitching arm. In order to make room for Liriano on the 40-man roster, Vin Mazzaro was outrighted to Triple-A and will be a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. 

Pirates Finally Set To Sign Francisco Liriano

The Pirates have reached an agreement with Francisco Liriano, restructuring the original two-year, $12.75M contract, according to Ken Rosenthal. The lefty broke his right arm after agreeing terms with the Bucs at the end of December and if Liriano misses time due to the injury then his 2013 salary will be reduced (Jon Heyman describes it as language protecting the club). The club will need to make a move to make room on the 40-man roster once the deal is finalized after Liriano's physical.

Will The Pirates Make Any Further Moves This Winter?

There has been little word on Francisco Liriano other than the club are still in discussions with the left-handed starting pitcher since his injury was revealed and even less regarding anything that could affect the major league club since the Joel Hanrahan trade, with only minor league additions made; so the acquisition of Jeff Karstens may have ended the Pirates’ business for the winter with Spring Training only a few weeks away (other than contract discussions with arbitration eligible players). 

The question is whether this should be the case? 

Free Agent Alternatives To Francisco Liriano

With Francisco Liriano’s now looking in doubt, the Pirates may look externally for a replacement if the deal cannot be restructured. The Bucs do have a lot of options internally; however Neal Huntington has stated that he could make a move if an upgrade can be found. 

Liriano Picks Up Injury, Deal With Pirates In Doubt

Francisco Liriano’s deal with the Pirates appears to be in jeopardy. The left-handed starting pitcher suffered an injury to his right arm shortly after agreeing to a two-year, $12.75M contract with the Pirates at the end of December, causing the physical to be delayed. 

I liked the idea of Liriano joining the club; a closer look at his performance certainly offered hope. At the very least he’s a 2 win pitcher, but then he does have the upside for more than that. 

Revisiting The Charlie Morton Decision

One of the Pirates’ more contentious moves this winter has been giving Charlie Morton a one year, $2M contract extension despite the fact that he will miss half the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. It was a questionable choice at the time, however recent moves by the club is making the decision look a little worse now. 

The Pirates Should Carry Two Left-Handers In The 2013 Bullpen

One of the reasons why the Pirates could move Joel Hanrahan is due to the depth in the bullpen; Jason Grilli was signed earlier this winter with a view to close games while the newly acquired Mark Melancon will be the primary setup man. While this will be a popular topic amongst Pirates bloggers since the trade and Tim Williams has comprehensively covered the subject for Pirates Prospects; my argument is why the Pirates need to be carrying two left-handed pitchers in the bullpen this season.

Buried Treasure Top 20 Prospects

Here is my top 20 Pirates Prospects list for the 2012 season all in one place. So far I have prospects 11-20 finished.  I promise to have my entire top 20 ready for spring training, so check back frequently! Just click the link to go to that player's profile.






01 - Jameson Taillon
02 - Gerrit Cole
03 - Starling Marte
04 - Luis Heredia
05 - Josh Bell
06 - Robbie Grossman
07 - Tony Sanchez
08 - Jarek Cunningham
09 - Jeff Locke
10 - Nick Kingham
11 - Kyle McPherson
12 - Stetson Allie
13 - Alex Dickerson
14 - Colton Cain
15 - Matt Curry
16 - Zack Dodson
17 - Gorkys Hernandez
18 - Rudy Owens
19 - Zack Von Rosenberg
20 - Clay Holmes

#11 Prospect - Kyle McPherson

My #11 Pirates prospect, Kyle McPherson shares certain similarities to my #12 prospect Stetson Allie. Both are right handed pitchers in the Pittsburgh farm system.  From there, they also have their differences.  The buzzword for Allie is ceiling, while the catch-phrase for McPherson is floor. 

McPherson was drafted in the 14th round (428th overall) by the Pirates in 2007 out of the University of Mobile.  At the time, McPherson was intriguing - possessing a solid fastball that sat in the low 90's, passable command, and decent secondaries - but intriguing was the limit.  In his first two full seasons, 2008 and 2009, McPherson did little to change that.  He posted solid ERA's, but McPherson's peripherals were weak.  In 2008, McPherson posted a mediocre 6.6 K/9 although his 0.8 BB/9 demonstrated excellent control as a 20 year old pitching at State College.  McPherson saw his already iffy K/9 dip a bit in 2009, pitching at both State College and West Virginia as a 21 year old, posting a 6.3 K/9, although his 1.2 BB/9 was again impressive.