Pittsburgh Pirates Agree to Terms With Daniel Nava Again

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement with veteran outfielder Daniel Nava.  This is the second time in the last month that the Bucs have signed him.

No, this is not an old article.  The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed corner outfielder/first baseman Daniel Nava to a minor league deal.  The Buccos signed Nava to a deal back at the beginning of February to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.  At the time, Nava seemed to be the most logical choice to fill the open outfield spot.  However, just a week into Spring Training Nava underwent back surgery to repair an impinging nerve.  The surgery requires him to miss quite a bit of time, and he likely will not return to action until June.

Other Outfielders

With that, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of other outfield moves.  First, they traded for outfielder Bryce Brentz, then they signed veteran outfielder Michael Saunders.  However, the headlining move was when they dealt for 2017 All-Star Corey Dickerson from the Tampa Bay Rays. They then released Saunders to allow him to pursue other opportunities.  It is hard to say if these moves would have been made if Nava did not undergo surgery.  With that being said, with the depth they added, plus Austin Meadows waiting in the minors, there is really no clear cut place for Nava when he returns in June.

Next: More on Nava

So, the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to release Nava just a few days ago.  The initial thought was that he is hurt and the Bucs do not really need him going forward.  However, it was quickly reported that the team was looking to re-sign him to a minor league deal.  The team believes that Nava can still help this team when he returns from the disabled list.  Today it was officially announced that the two sides reached an agreement on another minor league pact.  Stephen Nesbitt and Liz Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette were first to report it. Nava will likely head to the 60 day DL which will not cost the Buccos a 40 man roster spot.