Right-hander Juan Nicasio, who was non-tendered by the Dodgers last week, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Pirates worth $3 million.
He was due for a raise to around $3 million or so via the arbitration process, so Nicasio ends up with roughly the same salary and a change of scenery after throwing 58 innings with a 3.86 ERA and 65/32 K/BB ratio in 2015.
Mediocre as a starter early in his career, the 28-year-old has 81 strikeouts in 77 total innings as a reliever. He’ll need to improve his poor control to have a late-inning role, but Nicasio and his mid-90s fastball definitely have upside.
