Yesterday there was a rumor that Josh Johnson preferred the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, due to the proximity to his home in Las Vegas. Today, Travis Sawchik reports via Johnson’s agent that the right-hander has the Pirates on his short list of teams.
Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick: "The Pirates are one of the teams he wants to consider at the end…The Pirates are on his short list."
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) November 19, 2013
Sawchik also says that Johnson has narrowed his list to 3-4 teams.
Pirates are finalists for the services of free agent RHP Josh Johnson, according to his agent. Agent says he's considering "3 or 4" teams
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) November 19, 2013
It would make sense that Johnson would be considering the Pirates after the success they’ve had the last two years with A.J. Burnett and Francisco Liriano. Johnson is viewed as the biggest bounce back candidate on the open market, and his odds of bouncing back would seemingly be much better in the Pirates’ system. He’s a ground ball pitcher who could use some mechanical adjustments. Liriano and Burnett have had success because of some adjustments by Ray Searage, combined with the defensive shifts by the Pirates infield to improve the efficiency of ground ball pitchers.
Johnson probably wouldn’t come as cheap as Burnett ($10 M per year) or Liriano (most likely $6+ M per year). For one, there’s the new money coming into baseball that has been raising prices. There’s also the fact that he’s seen as a guy who could bounce back rather easily. That wasn’t the case with Burnett and Liriano. As a result, Johnson will be in more demand and will command a higher price. It’s good to see that the Pirates could be finalists, but I don’t know if this means the Pirates will be signing Johnson.
