The Boston Red Sox have signed former Pirates infielder Pedro Ciriaco, who the Bucs cleared off their roster in their flurry of moves this offseason.
↵The Pirates must have liked Ciriaco, although it now appears that the mystery of why that was will forever go unsolved. The Bucs kept him on the active roster for long, long stretches last season, although they practically never used him - he got only 34 at bats in 2011 despite piling up months of service time. I saw him walk past me in the Pirates' clubhouse last summer and did a double-take, because I'd forgotten he was still there. It was very strange how long the Pirates kept with him, because it wasn't as if they were loaded with good bench players. They easily could have used that roster spot on someone who could have helped.
↵Ciriaco has good speed and defensive ability, but he can't hit at all, so it's hard for him to take advantage of either of those traits. He did get in a few more games toward the end of the season and wound up with a couple big hits, but his minor-league record suggests he's not nearly good enough to do that on a regular basis. With the Red Sox, he'll likely see fewer big-league games than he did as a Pirate. Unless, of course, he's able to use whatever superpowers he was using with the Pirates this summer to keep from getting demoted.
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