At first, it was supposedly just the holiday season slowing up the Francisco Liriano signing. Now, Rob Biertempfel reports that it’s something much worse:
https://twitter.com/BiertempfelTrib/status/288739808388476928
Apparently Liriano is injured and a deal is not close. It seemed near completion when they agreed to terms, but apparently it is now in jeopardy. There isn’t much information available so there isn’t a lot to say about the injury itself. However, Biertempfel reported that his right arm is hurt; Liriano throws with his left. If true, his throwing shouldn’t be affected.
This puts the Pirates in a tough spot, considering they have multiple rotation spots to fill. A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez are locked in; James McDonald is technically set for the rotation, despite his awful second half of 2012. Liriano could have been a nice left-handed addition, even if the price seemed a bit high. That salary should hopefully come down, depending on the severity of his injury. If the two sides can’t work out a reasonable deal, then the Bucs certainly have some work to do.
