The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed outfielder Felix Pie to a minor league deal, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly reports that Pie has incentives for major league plate appearances in his contract if he makes the Pirates.
The outfielder was once one of the top prospects in the Chicago Cubs system, but hasn’t panned out in the majors. In 964 career at-bats he has a .249/.298/.374 line. The last time he played in the majors was in Baltimore in 2011, hitting for a .220 average and a .545 OPS. He spent the 2012 season in Triple-A with Atlanta, hitting for a .285 average and a .797 OPS in 333 at-bats.
It seems unlikely that Pie would make the majors out of Spring Training. The Pirates should have Starling Marte, Travis Snider, Jose Tabata, and Alex Presley for the final two outfield spots and two bench spots. Pie will most likely serve as depth in Triple-A.
November 19, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Tim, it sure seems like the Pirates are going to make a move that will involve some of the outfielders. I am betting that Tabata will be traded. What are you hearing regarding possible signings/trades?
November 20, 2012 at 8:04 am
i dont think any of the outfielders are going to be moved. signing Pie doesnt mean that changes are coming, it means Indy is going to have Pie in the outfield.
November 20, 2012 at 8:08 am
White Angus….agree. Pie is essentially Gorkys with a little better bat.
November 20, 2012 at 12:10 pm
If they’re serving PIe in the outfield at Indy, count me in! If they put ice cream on top of it, even better!!!
November 19, 2012 at 8:52 pm
I wish it was Pie Traynor…
November 20, 2012 at 9:19 am
I can’t imagine Tabata would be traded over the winter–really, does he have any real trade value right now?
November 20, 2012 at 5:30 pm
other than a very team-friendly contract, NO. But there might be some GM wanting to take a chance on his potential