Pirates To Sign Joe Beimel

Right before PirateFest, the Bucs have lured back former pitcher Joe Beimel to compete for a job in this year's bullpen. Beimel went to Duquesne, so the timing is perfect for the Bucs, and I'm sure we'll see Beimel around this weekend. Beimel is also a good addition for baseball reasons, not so much because he's anything special (and don't be fooled by his low ERAs - his very low strikeout rate is the better indicator of his talent), but because the Pirates just didn't have any good bullpen lefties.

After the perplexing dismissal of Wilfredo Ledezma earlier this offseason, Scott Olsen, Tony Watson, Danny Moskos, Justin Thomas and Aaron Thompson were first on the list for lefty bullpen roles, and those guys are either huge question marks (Watson) or really uninspiring (everyone else). Beimel thus appears very likely to make the team, and hopefully he'll bring a bit of stability to a bullpen that still lacks depth.