The Pirates announced on Saturday that they had signed the following 25 players to contracts for the 2012 season.
Infielders Chase d’Arnaud, Matt Hague, Josh Harrison, Jody Mercer, Yamaico Navarro and Gustavo Nunez
Outfielders Gorkys Hernandez, Starling Marte and Alex Presley
Catcher Michael McKenry
Pitchers Jared Hughes, Chris Leroux, Brad Lincoln, Jeff Locke, Daniel McCutchen, James McDonald, Kyle McPherson, Bryan Morris, Daniel Moskos, Rudy Owens, Tony Watson, Duke Welker and Justin Wilson
The Pirates also signed Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker to one-year deals for 2012.
There’s nothing to see here, really. Because these players have less than three full years of service time, they don’t have any leverage to bargain for more than the major-league minimum. That includes Andrew McCutchen, although the Pirates will apparently continue to try to work out a long-term contract with him that would keep him in Pittsburgh beyond the end of the 2015 season, when he is currently scheduled to become a free agent. If they do, whatever he signs would replace his deal for this year.
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