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 Pitchers Depth Chart: Next Man Up

Updated 2/13/2013

Please note and make use of the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen as there is additional info on the right side of this chart.

Depth Chart Key
Positional Players Depth Chart

Position	Player	Acquired	ST	OPT	40/R5	Throws	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
S1	A.J. Burnett1	TR12	>6.000	0	Yes	R	36/$16.5
	Gerrit Cole	DR11	0.000	3	2014	R	22	23	24	25	26	27
	Luis Heredia	Int FA10	0.000	3	2014	R	A	A+	AA	21	22	23
S2	Wandy Rodriguez2	TR12	>6.000	0	Yes	L	34/$13	35/$13
	Jameson Taillon	DR10	0.000	3	2014	R	AA	22	23	24	25	26
	Tyler Glasnow	DR11	0.000	3	2015	R	A-SS	A	A+	AA	23	24
S3	James McDonald	TR10	3.080	0	Yes	R	28/$3.025	29	30
	Charlie Morton3	TR09	4.010	0	Yes	R	29/$2	30
	Nick Kingham	DR10	0.000	3	2014	R	A+	AA	23	24	25	26
S4	Francisco Liriano4	FA13	>6.000	?	Yes	L	29/$1	30/$5-$8
	Kyle McPherson	DR07	0.036	1	Yes	R	25	26	27	28	29	30
	Clay Holmes	DR11	0.000	1	2015	R	A	A+	AA	AAA	24	25
S5	Jeff Karstens	FA13	5.132	?	Yes	R	30/$2.5
	Jeff Locke	TR09	0.058	1	Yes	L	25	26	27	28	29	30
	Justin Wilson	DR08	0.035	2	Yes	L	25	26	27	28	29	30
Closer	Jason Grilli	FA11	>6.000	0	Yes	R	36/$2.25	37/$4
	Mark Melancon	TR13	2.098	0	Yes	R	28	29	30	31
	Player projected to start the year in AAA and get called up mid-season; not eligible for arbitration
	Player is in a pre-arbitration year; contract is Major League minimum unless otherwise noted
	Player is arbitration eligible; salary, if noted, = arbitration results
	Player is under contract
	Either the Pirates or the player may exercise an option; details provided below the chart

¹ The Pirates pay $8,000,000 of Burnett’s 2013 contract.

² The Pirates pay $8,500,000 of Rodriguez’s 2013 contract. Rodriguez’s option became a player option when he was traded by Houston; the Pirates will pay $7,500,000 if the option is exercised.

³ Morton is unlikely to be available before June, 2013.

⁴ Liriano is guaranteed only $1 million in 2013; however, if he does not miss any games due to his broken right (non-throwing) arm, he can earn up to $4.75 million. The Pirates have a team option for 2014; that option will be for $5, 6, or 8 million depending upon missed games due to Liriano’s broken right arm.

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.

#9 Prospect - Jeff Locke

Another pitcher! Surprise, surprise.  This time it's Jeff Locke, my #9 Pirates Prospect.  Like Kingham was the second youngest player I had profiled up to that point, Locke is the second oldest player currently on my countdown.  Approximately one month younger than Rudy Owens, Locke was not a Pirates draftee.  Formerly part of the Atlanta Braves farm system, the left-handed pitcher was part of the swap that sent Nate McLouth (aka all-star, gold glove winner Nate McLouth) to the Braves in exchange for Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez and Locke.

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