According to Maury Brown, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of four teams in the mix for free agent right-handed pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Just over a month ago, Jayson Stark reported that the Pirates called about Arroyo. Nothing has changed with their rotation since then, as Ryan Vogelsong was already signed at the time. So it sounds like the Pirates still consider Arroyo as an option, possibly to compete with Vogelsong for the fifth spot in the rotation. It also indicates that they aren’t done shopping for pitching this off-season, with 23 days left before pitchers and catchers begin to report to Spring Training.
Arroyo didn’t pitch during the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery. The 38-year-old (39 in February) had a 4.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 86 innings over 14 starts during the 2014 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Marlins and Pirates in mix for Arroyo on top of Reds, Nats.
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) January 25, 2016
UPDATE 11:03 AM: Analysis from Tim Williams…
The last time the rumor came around, I figured this fell in line with the usual Triple-A reclamation project the Pirates bring in. Arroyo seems like the type of guy who would come in on a minor league deal, get some work in Triple-A to show what he can do, and then get the call early in the season if he’s needed. The Pirates usually add one of those guys for immediate depth out of Triple-A, and they haven’t made that addition this year. So the Arroyo rumor makes sense if that’s the position they’re looking at for him.
I don’t see Arroyo as a guy who would be better than Ryan Vogelsong for the fifth starter spot, and that comes with the note that I don’t see Vogelsong as a guy who should be the fifth starter. The bullpen is pretty loaded with options, and I don’t think Arroyo fits there either. So the only fit appears to be a minor league deal where he could be a starter out of Triple-A, and possibly some early season depth.