Not content to stand pat with their current bullpen alignment, the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free-agent right-hander Juan Nicasio.
Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Pirates announced their deal with Nicasio on Thursday. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Nicasio’s contract is for one year and worth $3 million.
The back end of the Pirates’ bullpen looks to be set, barring a trade. Arquimedes Caminero and Tony Watson are the righty-lefty pitchers who will serve as the primary setup arms with Mark Melancon closing games out in the ninth inning.
Nicasio is a depth move for the Pirates, who needed another right-handed arm with Joe Blanton being a free agent. The 29-year-old was serviceable for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, his first full season as a reliever, posting a career-low 3.86 ERA with 65 strikeouts and one home run allowed in 58.1 innings.
There are limitations to Nicasio’s game, which is why he’s best suited for a swing role rather than high-leverage situations. He had a career-worst 4.9 walks per nine innings last season and has averaged at least three walks per nine innings in each of the last four years.
The Pirates are fortunate to have built up such a strong bullpen—Pittsburgh relievers led Major League Baseball with a 2.67 ERA in 2015—and Nicasio adds to the list of options manager Clint Hurdle has to play with next season.
Stats per Baseball-Reference.com and ESPN.com.
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