The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed two minor league free agents, according to Baseball America’s latest minor league transactions. The first player that is new to the list is actually a former player, Francisco Diaz. Diaz is a catcher who was eligible for minor league free agency this off-season. He has mostly played the lower levels, and profiles as an organizational player.
It’s possible that he’s returning as a player/coach, since it doesn’t appear there will be much room for him in the minors with all of the lower level catching depth the Pirates have. Bradenton could have Reese McGuire and Jin-De Jhang, while West Virginia will probably have 2014 draft picks Taylor Gushue, Kevin Krause, and possibly Connor Joe, if the Pirates use him behind the plate. That leaves no room for Diaz.
The other signing is Adam Godwin, who was signed out of independent ball, and turns 32 years old next week. He’s an outfielder who has spent the last four seasons in the independent leagues, so it’s possible that this is a player/coach situation as well.
