Behr: Pirates Head Towards Correia Town

The Pirates and right-hander Kevin Correia

have come to terms on a two-year, $8 million deal, pending a physical. The Giants drafted Correia in the fourth round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. He spent six years with San Francisco before signing a minor league contract with the Padres in 2008.

Regular Season Stats (2010): 10-10, 26 GS, 145.0 IP, 64 BB, 115 SO, 5.40 ERA

Advanced Stats: 1.2 SNLVAR, -8.3 VORP, 4.27 SIERA*

Correia’s a versatile pitcher that can log a ton of innings (198 IP in 2009). He has a good sinking fastball, a solid change, and a decent slider. Correia can’t exactly count on any one of those pitches to be his primary out pitch, especially when facing left-handed hitters. He holds a career 3.60 BB/9 and 6.63 K/9.

I spoke with Correia last August, and he had this to say about the Buccos:

"“… The Pirates have a good young core. Think about us [Padres]. No one thought we’d be here [in first place]. There are guys that can hit on that team, no doubt about it.”  Kevin Correia"

This will be the Pirates first multiyear contract since signing Yoslan Herrera to a three-year contract in 2006 and first major league multiyear contract since Pete Schourek’s two-year, $4 million dollar deal in 1998.

 The Bucs are slowly filling out their rotation, or at least options for it, with southpaw Scott Olsen and now Correia.

*Read more on these terms at Baseball Prospectus’ glossary

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