According to Dejan Kovacevic, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in talks with free agent left handed pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes. Kovacevic notes that the deal would be a minor league deal if it happens.
Reyes was recently non-tendered by the Baltimore Orioles. He turned 27 in November, and has pitched 334.2 innings in the majors. In his career he has a 6.05 ERA, along with a 5.8 K/9, a 3.9 BB/9, and a 1.5 HR/9 ratio. That includes 140.2 innings between Toronto and Baltimore in 2011 where he put up a 5.57 ERA.
As a minor league free agent, Reyes wouldn’t be a bad flier. He was once a highly regarded pitching prospect out of the Atlanta farm system, but has never put it together in the majors. He has a career .736 OPS in the majors against left handers, compared to a .918 against right handers. He’s still young enough that he could turn things around, although the odds of that happening are very slim. On a minor league deal it wouldn’t be a bad risk to take.
