Francisco Liriano Hopes to Return in May

According to this ESPN article, the subject of most of the Pirates offseason drama, Francisco Liriano, hopes to be ready to pitch by May.  Liriano agreed to terms on a deal with the Pirates back in December, but was unable to take a physical due to a broken non-throwing arm.  The injury has been attributed to both a bathroom fall and Liriano's attempt to surprise his kids on Christmas by pounding on a door.  Basically, who knows what actually happened.

That created a need for the restructuring of Liriano's deal with the Pirates and the negotiations encountered several hiccups.  Finally, earlier this month, the Pirates and Liriano reached an agreement for a unique one year, incentive-laden deal with a vesting option (read more here). Due to the nature of the injury, it was fairly clear that Liriano would have to miss some time during the regular season.  Now it's more clear; Liriano will spend four weeks rehabilitating his broken right humerus before he even throws a pitch.  From there, he hopes to make his Pirates debut in early May.