Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USPRESSWIRE

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed left-handed relief pitcher Hisanori Takahashi off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Neal Huntington just made the announcement.  The Pirates will make a move on the 25-man roster when Takahashi reports to Pittsburgh.

The 37-year old Takahashi went 0-3 with a 4.93 ERA in 42 innings pitched.  He had 41 strikeouts in 42 relief appearances.

The southpaw was 79-66 with a 3.70 ERA for the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League before he signed with the New York Mets.  In his rookie season in 2010, he went 10-6 with a 3.61 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 53 games (12 starts.)

In 2011 with the Angels, he went 4-3 with two saves, a 3.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 52 punchouts in 61 relief appearances.

So who gets cut from the 25-man?

Pirates GM Neal Huntington has millions to spend on improving the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff.

Neal Huntington is on the hunt for some starting pitching to improve the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.  With the Buccos, there are numerous realities that you are obviously familiar with by now which always impact the team.  Losses, finances, finances, and finances.  This offseason, we anticipate the Pirates will inject the most cash into the major league team we have seen in years.  This week, Huntington said this important quote to Rob Biertempfel  :

“Whether it’s $2 million, $10 million or something higher than that, we’ve got to make sure we feel comfortable that this guy is, ideally, a multiple-year fit or, if it’s a shorter-term fit, he fills a hole that we can’t fill internally.”  Neal Huntington

Could the pitchers below be targets that Huntington has in his sights?  The names sparked our interest.  But remember this, we have a real hard time believing Huntington will be comfortable with any of the players he attempts to sign to a deal.  He is a lame duck GM looking to prove his worth in the final year of his contract.  (more…)