Saturday, January 21, 2012

Movin' Along...

  • You can go home again. Houston native Chris Snyder signed a one year deal with the Astros with a mutual option for 2013 (no salary info released yet). He went to the University of Houston, and his wife Carla is also from Space City. The Pirates declined his $6.75M option after he sat out virtually all of 2011 with back problems.
  • Ryan Ludwick signed with the Cincy Reds for a year, pending his physical.
  • With those two signings, five ex-Buccos stayed in the division - Paul Maholm and Jason Jaramillo are now with the Cubs and Jose Veras went to the Brewers, along with Snyder and Ludwick.
  • Don't look for a Derrek Lee comeback. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that Lee may opt for retirement if he doesn't find a deal he likes, and it's pretty apparent that playing in Pittsburgh again isn't on his bucket list.
  • Aaron Cook signed with the Red Sox, so you can scratch another name from the Bucco rumors list.
  • Big Country Brad Eldred, 31, has inked a minor league deal with the Tigers after spending last year with the Giants AAA Fresno club. He didn't receive an invite to camp. Too bad; we've always wanted to see what the slugger could do if given an extended shot in the show. His big league K rate is staggering (37%) and his BA & OBP (.204/.259) are sad, but he does have an intriguing 15 HR in 260 MLB at-bats.
  • If you're a draft nut, Tom Smith of Rumbunter speculates on a pair of shortstops the Bucs may looking at next season, a high school phenom (Carlos Correa) and a more polished college pick (Deven Marrero).
  • George Guido of the Valley News Dispatch has a tale of Leechburg's Mickey Morandini, who just landed a minor-league coaching gig with the Phils. 
  • The big recent Bucco news is the post-game concert bill: June 9th - Boyz II Men; July 7th - Daughtry; August 11th - Styx; and September 29th, Lifehouse.

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