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The lefty is back in black for 2015.
Word on the street is that everyone is waiting for Jon Lester to sign somewhere before we start seeing a lot of activity in the pitching market. Perhaps Francisco Liriano is an exception, because he just signed a pretty big deal with the Pirates, whom he pitched for in 2013 and 2014.
The 31-year-old Liriano has signed on for three more years with Pittsburgh for a total of $39 million. Although he only threw a tad over 160 innings in each of the last two seasons, the lefty was instrumental in the Pirates qualifying for the postseason in those campaigns. He wasn't as dominant in 2014 as he was in 2013, but Liriano still struck out more than one batter per inning while maintaining a 3.38 ERA last season.
If Liriano can maintain the excellent ground ball rate that has been a huge factor in him turning around his career, he should be at least a useful pitcher for the length of this new deal. The Mets, meanwhile, will be happy to have so many young arms under control. That way, they don't have to spend $10 million per season to fill out the middle of their rotation.
