With one free agent signing, the Pirates appear to have acquired some Jung Ho Kang insurance, beefed up the first base platoon that will replace Pedro Alvarez and added a bat that can bring thunder off the bench.
They also added David Freese at a bargain price.
So what's the catch?
Freese's signing came out of nowhere the other day and has a too-good-to-be-true feel to it.
For no more than a guaranteed $3 million on a one-year deal, the Pirates have their starting third baseman while Kang recovers from his knee surgery. They have a significant option in case Kang's recovery doesn't go smoothly.
They have a righthanded bat to share first base with John Jaso. They also have a pinch hitter who can strike fear in the late innings.
For $3 million?
These days, $3 million barely covers a lunch meeting with a free agent. It was just a couple of years ago that the Pirates were paying Clint Barmes $5 million a season.
This is a world where $3 million takes care of a player's home theater set-up (in his temporary summer place).
When you sign a free agent two weeks into the exhibition season, it's usually the ultimate scratch and dent special. You expect someone who is trying to return from a horrific injury, or someone who took three years off to intern for the Dalai Lama.
Players simply don't last that long on the free agent market unless they're irreparably flawed. For goodness sake, Alvarez found a job before Freese did.
There doesn't appear to be an injury issue. Freese had a so-so season with the Angels, down from what he used to give the Cardinals. He's also 32, which is not an especially attractive age for an everyday player.
But his OPS last season was .743, not that far from the .756 that Neil Walker posted with the Pirates.
Yet, he's coming here for what is reported to be a guaranteed $3 million, or less than half of what the Angels paid him last year.
All the other teams passed on him this long, although he's clearly not priced himself out anybody's budget?
Maybe Freese can't wait to wear those gaudy 1970's throwback uniforms the Pirates will feature at Sunday home games this year. Is he this anxious to be included on the distribution list for Clint Hurdle's daily inspirational e-mail?
The Pirates went through the offseason, mostly shopping in the final clearance aisle. They came up with Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Joyce, two players looking for rebound seasons.
Then right in the middle of the exhibition game grind, Neal Huntington suddenly pulls this giant rabbit out of someone's hat and seals the contract with what's in the petty cash box?
Maybe there's more here than appears evident now, but this looks like a potentially incredible bargain, even for a club that specializes in finding them.
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--TIME TO GO
So long, Martavis Bryant.
It's a shame that you're wasting so much talent, but those demons can be awfully tough to fight.
The Steelers officially have no comment on reports that Bryant is facing a full season's suspension for either missing or failing drug tests. But, in retrospect, wasn't last week's re-signing of Darrius Heyward-Bey a clue that receiver depth is an issue?
Bryant is too deep in the NFL discipline system to be a reliable player. He's on the verge of having his own file drawer at league headquarters. That's when a team knows it's time to move on. There is no future.
This is a chance for Sammie Coates, last year's No. 3 pick, and perhaps for someone in the upcoming draft.
It was a great opportunity for Bryant, but it appears he blew it. Oh, what could have been -- for both sides.
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