The Pittsburgh Pirates have non-tendered four players prior to the non-tender deadline, letting go of Lastings Milledge, Argenis Diaz, Donald Veal, and Brian Burres. Â Milledge was the only one of the group of four who was arbitration eligible, becoming eligible for the first time this year.
The non-tender of Milledge is a bit of a surprise, as he had some strengths, despite a sub-par 2010 season. Â Milledge had a .277/.332/.380 line in 379 at-bats, while struggling on defense. Â He did have strong numbers against left handers, with a .320/.414/.512 line in 125 at-bats, making him a strong platoon possibility. Â The Pirates do have an alternative in Steve Pearce for that same platoon role, so the Milledge non-tender could help Pearce’s chances of making the roster.
Diaz was out of options, and was also expendable. Â The Pirates agreed to a deal with Ronny Cedeno earlier this evening, a deal which includes a 2012 option. Â They also have Pedro Ciriaco, who is a better option than Diaz, and there’s a chance that they could still pursue a shortstop, all of which makes Diaz expendable.
Burres being non-tendered wasn’t a surprise, as I had that in my 40-man roster projections. Â It especially wasn’t a surprise when the Pirates signed Jeff Karstens tonight. Â Burres is out of options, and Karstens will be taking his role on the roster, which makes him expendable.
Veal is probably the biggest surprise. Â He is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and has two options remaining. Â He was off to a good start in AAA prior to his injury in 2010, and the Pirates invested a lot of time in the 2009 Rule 5 pick. Â I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pirates try to bring him back on a minor league deal.
There are now four open spots on the 40-man roster after these moves.
UPDATE 12:08 AM: Jennifer Langosch has some comments from Neal Huntington, mentioning that the Pirates will continue talking to Veal and Milledge about coming back.
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