The Pittsburgh Pirates have made the signings of Edinson Volquez and Clint Barmes official. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates have designated Jerry Sands and Ryan Reid for assignment.
Sands isn’t a surprise, since he was out of options and didn’t fit into the Pirates plans as a top choice for the right field position. He had horrible numbers in Triple-A last year, along with some injury problems. If he clears waivers, the Pirates can keep him in the minors for one more year, hoping he rebounds to his pre-2013 numbers.
Reid is a bit of a surprise since he had options remaining and had some success as a depth option for the Pirates in 2013. He’s got enough time in the minors that he could opt for free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A. Even though he did have success with the Pirates, he would have only been a depth option in 2014, and probably wouldn’t have been ahead of the other guys on the 40-man roster.
