Notes: JHK, Quintana, Jose, Moves, Heaters

The New Year started off with a whimper, news-wise...

• 3B Jung-Ho Kang's DUI not only is being prosecuted by local authorities, but it just cost him a spot on the South Korean WBC squad. Word is that he's likely looking at a rehab stint. 
• The Pirates are still in on the White Sox' Jose Quintana, as are other clubs to varying degrees. Phil Rogers of MLB.com ranks the teams thought to be involved, their need for Q and the resources available to cobble together a deal; Chicago is still looking for an epic prospect haul.

Jose Osuna 2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects

• Stephen Nesbitt of the Post Gazette has a piece on 24-year-old Jose Osuna, who is a depth guy at first right now but could work his way onto the radar with his bat.
• Recently DFA'ed 1B/3B Jason Rogers has cleared waivers and been assigned to Indy.
• C Jackson Williams, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs w/camp invite. He's been in 14 MLB games, batting .208, and in 10 minor league campaigns has posted a .222 BA.
• Richard Justice of MLB.com thinks the Bucs are one of five clubs poised for a rebound season. 
• The Pirates look for pitchers that get their deliveries beat into the ground, but they've bought into the velocity school, too. As Travis Sawchuck of Fangraphs notes, the Pirates have finished in the league's top three in average fastball speed since 2014. 
• OF Willy Garcia, recently DFA'ed by the Bucs, was claimed by the White Sox.

Travis inked a deal w/White Sox (2014 Topps)

• The Rangers have signed OF Travis "Lunch Box Hero" Snider to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
• OF Rajai Davis, 36, who the Pirates gave up in the straw-that-broke-Dave-Littlefield's-back Matty Morris deal way back in 2007, signed a one-year/$6M deal w/Oakland. He's hit .267 lifetime, stolen 365 bases and appeared in 100+ games in 10-of-his-last-11 big league campaigns. Matty Mo went 3-8, 7.04 and was released in April of 2008.
• The Jackson Generals, Arizona's AA club, will have a Pittsburgh look this year. JR House, 37 and a Buc property from 1999-2004 (he caught for the big club briefly in 2003-04) will manage and Doug Drabek, who won the NL Cy Young Award in 1990 with the Pirates, will be the pitching coach.