Pirates close to agreement with Scott Olsen
Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com
The Pirates have tentatively agreed to a one-year, incentive-laden agreement with left-hander Scott Olsen, according to industry sources. The deal is contingent on Olsen passing a physical, which is expected to happen later this week.
An official announcement could come as early as Friday.
Reached by phone on Monday, Olsen’s agent, Matt Sosnick, would not confirm that a deal had been reached.
Olsen became a free agent in November after being outrighted off the Nationals’ roster. He went 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA in 17 games (15 starts) last season. It was Olsen’s second year in Washington, who acquired the lefty from the Marlins in a November 2008 trade.
He is coming off two injury-plagued seasons, which is why the deal would include a small base with lots of incentives based on performance. A left shoulder injury ended Olsen’s 2009 season in July. He then spent two different stints on the disabled list with left shoulder tightness last year.
In parts of six seasons in the Majors, Olsen is 37-49 with a 4.85 ERA in 130 games (127 starts). He has struck out 528 and walked 239 in 723 innings. Olsen proved durable while with the Marlins, making at least 31 starts each year from 2006-2008.
For the Pirates, a deal with Olsen makes sense given that the club’s top priority has been to bring in additional starting pitching options. An agreement with Olsen wouldn’t cost the Pirates a lot of upfront money, so that protects the club in case Olsen continues to deal with injury issues.
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