Pittsburgh Pirates Dig Deep For Pitching, Close To Deal With Jonathan Sanchez

May 2, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez (57) sits in dugout during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates pursuit of left-handed pitching continues with the latest rumor reported by Jon Heyman.  The Pirates, perhaps as a ploy to get their other left-handed starter to sign, are close to a deal with free agent southpaw Jonathan Sanchez.

"Jon HeymanVerified‏@JonHeymanCBS3hJonathan Sanchez is close to a deal with the #pirates. word is, he’s healthy and worked all winter on mechanics."

The 30-year old Sanchez was absolutely horrid last season in 15 starts with the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies.  We would speculate it’s a minor league deal, if it occurs at all.  These low end fliers can do no harm, especially if he has been working on his mechanics which the tweet mentioned.

Don’t be surprised if the Bucs try to pick up one more flier like this before spring training too.

So just how horrid was Sanchez last year?  He struckout 45 and walked 53 batters in 64.2 innings last season.  As the picture at the top might indicate, Sanchez didn’t pitch after August 3rd due to left biceps tendinitis.

The lefty has suffered from control problems for some time now, but you know our feelings on left-handers pitching at PNC Park.  Why the hell not?

You might remember the Pirates having interest in Sanchez before the Freddy Sanchez trade.  Yeh, things were pretty good for Sanchez before he left San Francisco.

For some more good fun, check out his twitter account

Or check this out…

Or we can simply wait for the latest Liriano Groundhog Day story to start again soon.