Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Bucs Scout Johan Santana Throwing Session
By Matt Shetler
It’s always said that you can never have enough pitching.
With that in mind, the Pittsburgh Pirates are busy potentially looking for extra arms – a former Cy Young Award winner in particular.
Feb 15, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana during spring training workout at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
The Pirates were among seven teams to attend left-hander Johan Santana‘s throwing session on Monday in Fort Myers as the one-time ace attempts to make a comeback to the major leagues.
According to George A. King III of the New York Post, Santana mostly threw in the high 70s, topping out at just 81 mph, though he did flash his usually phenomenal changeup.
That sounds like a shell of the former Santana, but the workout comes very early on in the process for Santana to regain strength on the mound following a second shoulder surgery, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The workout is just a step towards a potential return for Santana, who is targeting a middle of the season return.
Neal Huntington and his staff are likely just being diligent on Santana. Monitoring his progress makes sense in case the Bucs are in need for an arm later in the season, but the reality of the situation is that this isn’t the Santana of 2004-08 any longer.
But it can’t hurt to keep checking in on him and see how he looks once he builds his arm strength up.
I would be shocked if the Pirates had any serious interest.
Santana last pitched in the majors in 2012 for the New York Mets where he went 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA.