After a long, dragged out process, left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano is finally a Pirate.
Ken Rosenthal delivers the news:
Liriano passed physical. Deal with #Pirates finally official.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 8, 2013
Pirates.com writer Tom Singer once hinted at the possibility of a minor league contract, but Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette makes it sound like that will not be the case:
#Pirates 40-man roster is full, so they will have to remove someone to add Liriano once deal becomes official.
— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) February 8, 2013
Brink also added this…
If Liriano passed physical, as @ken_rosenthal reported, probably won’t affect rotation early in season. Still Locke/McPherson for 5th spot.
— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) February 8, 2013
…which makes it sound like Liriano’s arm injury is rather serious. We probably won’t see Liriano for a while.
Some highlights from when he shut down the Bucs in June:
UPDATE:
Liriano lost some serious cash by injuring his right arm:
That bathroom fall cost Liriano quite a sum: Per sources, his deal guaranteed for $1M (from original $12.75M) with $11.75M in option/bonuses
— Tom Singer (@Tom_Singer) February 9, 2013
Only $1 million is guaranteed, but he can earn up to $4.75 million, per Brink:
Source: Liriano guaranteed $1 mil in 2013 but can earn up to $4.75 mil based on days spent on DL in ’13 as a result of broken humerus.
— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) February 9, 2013
After that, he can earn $5 mil, $6 mil, or $8 mil in his 2014 vesting option, which depends on DL time as well.
To make room for Liriano, Vin Mazzaro has been outrighted to Triple-A. Our depth chart can be viewed HERE.
