Ryota Igarashi Agrees To Terms With Pirates

The Pirates have agreed to sign reliever Ryota Igarashi to a minor-league deal. Igarashi pitched for the Mets in the last two seasons and didn't do particularly well, and New York released him in October. He throws hard, but problems with walks have hurt him - he has averaged a ridiculous six walks per nine innings in his career. He'll also be 33 in May, so there doesn't appear to be much hope of a turnaround, although one never really knows with relievers.

The Pirates have plenty of right-handed relief pitching, so it's unlikely Igarashi will get much of a chance to make the team out of Spring Training - they've already got Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop and Jason Grilli as likely righties out of the pen, plus Chris Leroux, Daniel McCutchen and Jared Hughes. The Bucs might be able to use Igarashi later in the year, however, if injuries and/or trades take their toll. This is a minor signing, and probably nothing more.

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