The Pirates have signed 29-year old switch-hitting SS/2B Anderson Hernandez to a minor league deal. Hernandez played in 136 games in AAA-ball last year for the Astros and he was 153 of 510 (.300 avg, .766 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 6 homers, 52 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Astros & Indians. Hernandez has now played in 240 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 155 of 643 (.241 avg, .614 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 4 homers, 60 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Hernandez will get a shot to win a job as a backup infielder next spring.

The Pirates have re-signed 28-year old lefty swinging 1B Jeff Clement to a minor league deal. Clement played in 31 games in Rookie+AAA-ball last year and he was 25 of 94 (.266 avg, .733 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 12 RBIs. He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Pirates. Clement has played in 129 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 81 for 363 (.223 avg, .664 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 14 homers and 38 RBIs. He will be a longshot to win a job with the Pirates at the start of the 2012 season, so he will likely be starting the year in AAA.

The Pirates have signed lefty starter/reliever Kris Johnson to a minor league deal. Johnson pitched in 8 games (3 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 2-2 with a 12.63 ERA and a 2.27 WHIP. He has now pitched in 129 games (119 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he is 28-49 with a 5.10 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Johnson will be a longshot to pitch with the Pirates in 2012. He should thank the good Lord that he throws left-handed or he would be stocking shelves at the supermarket.

The Pirates have signed 32-year old righty reliever Ryota Igarashi to a 1-year, split contract. Igarashi pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 4-1 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. He has now pitched in 79 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 5-2 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. The Pirates are going to be in trouble if Igarashi makes the team, because he’s just not too good of a pitcher, period.

The Pirates have acquired 29-year old righty swinging 3B Casey McGehee from the Brewers for 31-year old righty reliever Jose Veras. Casey McGehee had an off-year for the Brewers in 2011. He played in 155 games for the Brewers last year and he was 122 of 546 (.223 avg, .626 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 13 homers and 67 RBIs. McGehee has now played in 437 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 407 for 1,535 (.265 avg, .746 OPS) with 175 runs scored, 52 homers, 242 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Jose Veras pitched in 79 games (0 starts) last year for the Pirates and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 3.80 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Casey McGehee will get a lot of at bats for the Pirates in 2012. He will likely battle Pedro Alvarez for the starting job at 3B this spring. McGehee can also handle playing 1B if the Pirates have a need there.