Pittsburgh Pirates re-sign Francisco Liriano with three year deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Francisco Liriano have agreed on a three-year, $39 million deal. Robert Murray of MLB Daily Rumors first reported the news.

We finally have a bargain. With the likes of Jon Lester and Max Scherzer seeking deals of $150 million or greater, Pittsburgh has landed a quality left-hander at an extremely reasonable rate.

In 2013, Liriano posted a 16-8 record with a 3.02 ERA. He backed that reinvention season up with another strong showing in 2014, posting a 3.38 ERA and only allowing opponents to bat .218 against him.

After the devastating loss of Russell Martin in free agency, bringing back Liriano was probably a priority for Pittsburgh. Pitching coach Ray Searage has been largely credited for helping turning around Liriano’s career.

Once a top-notch prospect with the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins, the southpaw Liriano has had an inconsistent career. He teased the Twins with with a brilliant 2006 season, but went on to have multiple years with an ERA of 5.00 or greater.

In Pittsburgh, Liriano put up back-to-back effective seasons for the first time as an MLB pitcher. With that sort of consistency and comfort, it’s not surprising that he accepted a deal under market value.

The primary knock on Liriano is his durability. He’s only exceeded 30 or more starts once in his career. He’s also more of a 160 innings type of pitcher, not a 200+ type. His positives include high strikeout rates and a strong ability to avoid surrendering home runs.

With Liriano locked up, Pittsburgh might turn its attention to free agent pitcher Edinson Volquez. Liriano and Volquez formed an impressive tandem in 2014. Since the loss of Martin is such a severe blow, bringing back both free agent pitchers would help keep the Pirates in the realm of contention.