Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates have re-signed right-hander Jeff Karstens to a one-year contract, pending a physical. It’s believed to be worth $2.5 million, which is less than the $3.1 million he made last year.
Karstens was non-tendered by the Pirates in late-November and there hasn’t been any buzz about him coming back, so this news comes as a bit of a surprise. The Pirates had agreed to a two-year deal with left-hander Francisco Liriano before word of an injury to his right (non-throwing arm) surfaced last week, so one wonders whether this means the club has officially moved on. At the very least, Karstens gives the Pirates a reasonably-priced fallback if the two sides can’t agree to an amended deal.
Karstens, 30, threw just 91 innings in 2012 due to hip and shoulder injuries. He has a 4.31 ERA in 535 innings with Pittsburgh over the past five seasons.
