By now the Pittsburgh Pirates are the only people who haven’t said that Radhames Liz is signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s not a surprise, since the Pirates rarely comment on a move until it is finalized, with the physical complete, and the ink dry on the paper.
At the start of the week, we heard reports out of Korea and the Dominican Republic, saying the Pirates had agreed to a two-year, $3 M deal with Liz. Yesterday, Liz’s Dominican Winter League team (which is managed by Dean Treanor, who manages the Indianapolis Indians) announced the signing. Today, it’s going national, with Jayson Stark reporting the deal.
#Pirates have added latest reclamation project, RHP Radhames Liz, on big-league deal. Scout back from DR says: "Power stuff. Vicious curve."
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 21, 2014
Stark notes that it’s a big league deal, which answers the question about whether that two-year deal is a big league deal, or some kind of unique minor league contract. I think that deal also guarantees Liz a spot in the bullpen. He’s an extremely hard thrower, and all of the reports on him this off-season are positive. The Pirates have had plenty of success finding reclamation projects and hidden gems. We’re about to see if Liz is the next in line.
