The Pirates have agreed to sign relief pitcher Jason Grilli to a one-year, $1.1 million contract, Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Grilli was very effective for the Pirates in 2011, striking out 37 batters in 32.2 innings, and $1.1 million is certainly the right price. If he tanks, they’ve lost very little, and if he’s effective, they might be able to ship him to a contender at the trade deadline.
The Pirates had a logjam of relief pitchers and had to decide by late Monday night whether to tender Grilli a contract. It’s not clear whether there’s any connection, but the news that the Pirates had agreed to terms with Grilli came hot on the heels of news that the Pirates had shipped fellow righty reliever Jose Veras to the Brewers for third baseman Casey McGehee, so it may be that Veras’ departure opened a spot.
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