Pirates eyeing former Washington starter John Lannan
By Matt Shetler
It took a while for the Pittsburgh Pirates to become active this offseason, but now that MLB’s winter meetings have started, the Bucs have eyed some targets.
The latest appears to be former Washington Nationals starter John Lannan.
Oct 01, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher John Lannan (31) throws in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Rob Biertempfel reported that the Pirates have expressed interest in the free-agent lefty and have liked him for a while.
Lannan would seem to be a good fit in PNC Park. He’s a fly-ball pitcher who has given up a lot homers in his career, but could benefit from PNC Park’s huge left field.
He was non-tendered after a down season in which he made $5 million and likely could be had for a smaller contract. Lannan made just six starts in 2012 (4-1, 4.13) for the Nationals and was banished to Triple-A.
The bad news is that he doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts and gives up a lot of hits (almost one per inning), but he could possibly fill a hole in the back end of the Pirates rotation.
Until last season, Lannan had been a mainstay in the Nationals’ starting rotation. From 2008 to 2011, Lannan made at least 25 for the team each year.
The Minnesota Twins have also shown interest in Lannan, according to the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore.