Pirates agreed to terms with first baseman Adam LaRoche on a one-year, $7.05 million contract.
A nice raise from the $5 million he earned last year. LaRoche will make an extra $50,000 each for 555 and 590 plate appearances. He'll be eligible for free agency for the first time after the season.
According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pirates are unlikely to give Andy LaRoche any competition at third base this spring.
Of course, signing Ramon Vazquez says otherwise. LaRoche's career is off to a horrible start, but he remains very young and still projects as a strong everyday player both offensively and defensively. "We're going to give Andy a chance," general manager Neal Huntington said.