The Pirates have signed 28-year old righty reliever Kris Harvey to a minor league deal. Harvey pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in A+AA-ball for the Marlins last year and he was 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has now pitched in 118 games (4 starts) in four years in the minors as a pitcher and he is 14-14 with 4 saves, a 4.57 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Harvey will likely start the 2012 season in the minors for the Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired 35-year old righty starting pitcher A.J. Burnett from the Yankees for 25-year old righty reliever Diego Moreno and 20-year old lefty swinging outfielder Exicardo Cayones. Burnett pitched in 33 games (32 starts) for the Yankees last year and he was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has now pitched in 314 games (309 starts) so far in his major league career and he is 121-111 with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Burnett has always pitched better in the National League and he should excel now that he’s out of the pressure cooker in New York. He will likely be the Pirates’ #1 or #2 starter in 2012. He still has great stuff so he could have a big year in 2012. Diego Moreno pitched in 41 games (0 starts) in A+AA-ball last year for the Pirates and he was 2-4 with 5 saves, a 3.63 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Exicardo Cayones played in 38 games in Rookie+A-ball last year and he was 26 of 114 (.228 avg, .658 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 12 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Neither Moreno or Cayones are considered high end prospects. I really love this deal from the Pirates’ end.

UPDATE: (12/20/2012) - The Pirates have placed 24-year old switch-hitting shortstop Gustavo Nunez on the 60-day disabled list due to a right ankle injury to clear up a spot on the 40-man roster for A.J. Burnett. Nunez was a Rule 5 Draft Pick over the winter for the Pirates. He played in 96 games in A+AA-ball last year for the Tigers and he was 105 of 381 (.276 avg, .718 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 5 homers, 26 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

UPDATE II: (3/1/2012) - A.J. Burnett fractured the orbital bone of his right eye, which will require surgery to repair. He was injured while bunting as a foul ball hit him in his eye. He will be out indefinitely and this is a big blow to the Pirates who were counting on him.

UPDATE III: (3/2/2012) - A.J. Burnett will be out 8-12 weeks after having eye surgery yesterday in Pittsburgh.

UPDATE IV: (4/5/2012) - The Pirates have placed A.J. Burnett on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26th. He will likely be ready to return to the Pirates in late April or early May.

The Pirates have signed 34-year old lefty reliever Brian Tallet to a minor league deal. He pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals & Blue Jays last year and he was 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP. Tallet has now pitched in 242 games (36 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 16-25 with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He will get a shot to win a job in the Pirates’ bullpen this spring.

UPDATE: (4/8/2012) - The Pirates have dealt Brian Tallet to the San Diego Padres for either cash considerations or a player to be named later.

The Pirates have signed 33-year old righty reliever Juan Cruz to a minor league deal. Cruz pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Rays last year and he was 5-0 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has now pitched in 404 games (38 starts) in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 37-35 with 3 saves, a 4.13 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Cruz will try to win a job in the Pirates’ bullpen this spring and he will have a good shot of doing exactly that.

The Pirates have signed 30-year old righty starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera to a minor league deal. He did not pitch at all last season and he last pitched in the majors back in 2009 with the Nationals & Diamondbacks. Cabrera has pitched in 162 games (155 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 48-65 with 1 save, a 5.10 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. The Pirates might want to think of converting Cabrera into a reliever as he has a big time arm despite being really wild.