RHP Ian Snell was signed to a three-year, $8 M contract yesterday by the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the club having options for 2011-12.

The 26-year-old will join a young rotation that will include Tom Gorzelanny, Paul Maholm, Matt Morris and Zach Duke.  He should serve as the number two guy.

Drafted in the 26th round in the 200 Amateur Draft, he spent six season in the minors where he averaged a 2.85 ERA and 1.15 WHIP,  on top of throwing at least 140 innings since 2002.

Last season, he posted the best ERA (3.76) of the Pirates rotation and also threw the most innings (208).   His 42.8 VORP was also the best put up on the staff. 

That was the first year where he threw only three pitches: a low-90s fatsball, a slider and a change-up.  In years past, he had a cutter and curve ball to keep hitters on their toes.

Even with these unused weapons, left-handed batters actually struggled more in 2007 (.800 OPS) than they did in '06 (.912 OPS).  Being able to concentrate on commanding only three offerings, he was able to cut his BB% to 2.94 (lowest in major league career) and get under 1 in the HR/9 department for the first time in the big leagues.

He went for seven innings in 15 of his 32 starts in 2007, two times he threw 8 innings and he completed one game.

His ability to keep runners off base (1.92 WHIP in 2004 to 1.33 WHIP last season) and the cost associated with signing him make that a real great deal for the Pirates.

Not only do they have that production for three years at a very reasonable cost, but they also have a great opportunity to trade him during the season for a great return, depending on how they see their farm system developing. 

Projections see him at the end of the season with an ERA over 4, but I have to object to these numbers.  He has gradually improved in many stats categories over the years (WHIP, BB%, HR/9, BABIP, K/BB) and he will remain under 4 with that ERA.

While I was worried about the workload he was submitted to, especially since the Pirates are not contenders, it is interesting to see the implications of not throwing that curve and cutter anymore.  They are pitches that exact a heavy toll on a pitcher's arm and they are now out of the way, making him less of a health risk in the years to come, if the Pirates management doesn't add to his 208 innings pitched each year.

Bloggers Reactions

Bucs Dugout:

If Snell is half the pitcher he can be, this is going to save the Bucs a ton of money in arbitration. It also potentially buys out a year of free agency eligibility at what appears to be a very reasonable price. Long term deals are risky, but like many of them, this one eliminates much of the risk with the inclusion of option years.

Pittsburgh Lumber Co.

This is some good news. It looks like they bought out Snell's arbitration years and there is a club option for the next two years. I didn't see any monetary terms in the article. If you know any feel free to comment away.

This is what we should be doing, identifying the key components and signing them to long term deals now, before they get too expensive.

UPDATE: Much love to Sludgeworm in the comments. He points out that the first three years are for a total of $8 million and that the two club options are for in the range of $16 million in total.