The Pirates have signed yet another mediocre veteran, as lefty Joe Beimel will return to the team that drafted him some 13 years ago.
Beimel pitched for the Pirates from 2001-03; he made the only 23 starts of his career for the franchise. The lefty has become a bullpen specialist since, pitching for the Twins, Rays, Dodgers, Nationals, and Rockies organizations.
The 33-year-old has been at or above replacement level every season 2005-10, but like the other free agents Pittsburgh’s brought in, he’s unlikely to make that huge of an impact–he’s never been worth a full win in a season, and has a combined 0.4 WAR in 2009-10.
The lefty retired fellow southpaws at a decent rate in 2010, but he’s not an A-grade lefty killer, and he posted a meager 6/8 K/BB against righties, striking out only 6 of the 86 he faced. For the minimum salary or a bit more, he’s not bad, particularly since the Pirates may be able to get something for him at the deadline (see Lopez, Javier), but anything approaching seven figures is an overpay. Contract details have yet to be disclosed.
If nothing else, Beimel should bring some consistency to the Pirates’ pen–excepting a 5-out stint with Minnesota, he hasn’t posted an ERA over 4.00 since he pitched for…the Pirates.