by: Justin Dunio

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that the team signed veteran starting pitcher Francisco Liriano to a 2 year, 12.75 million dollar contract. It’s been a few years since Liriano was a dominating Major League pitcher, but the Pirates organization felt he was still worth a contract above his market value.

When asked about joining the Pirates, Liriano said, “The no-pressure culture in Pittsburgh is awesome. I spoke with Clint Hurdle before signing and he assured me that the Pirates do not care about winning and losing. They care more about how we play the game.” Liriano went on to say that he appreciates the culture in Pittsburgh. “ Recently, I’ve watched guys like Clint Barmes, Rod Barajas, and Erik Bedard all come here and get paid handsomely for very little performance. What is there not to like? I plan on having fun and playing hard without the added pressure to win ball games.”

Neal Huntington mentioned in an interview today that Liriano is exactly the type of player they look for via free agency. “He used to be a really good pitcher and a lot of everyday fans know his name. Although he isn’t a great pitcher anymore, he will still sell tickets and he was way less expensive than a quality pitcher in his prime.