Pirates sign Ryan Vogelsong

     Yes, you heard the headline right. The Pirates today signed veteran Ryan Vogelsong to a one-year deal. Vogelsong spent 6 seasons with the Bucs from 2001-2006 then bounced around after that, and was most recently a member of the Giants. In his time there, he was able to amass a couple of World Series' rings. Last season, Vogelsong was 9-11 with a 4.67 ERA. However, he did hit a home run, which is pretty improbable for a guy like him. 

     I'm not sure what the plan is for Vogelsong, but I do know this: If their plan is for Vogelsong to be the 5th starter in the rotation, there is truly a problem. I get that they are trying to stopgap until Glasnow, Kingham, and Taillon get to the bigs, but come on. This is truly cheap. Vogelsong is a washed-up has been that has no business being in any major league rotation. 

     I think this project is just too much for Searage. It is one thing to fix a young guy or a guaranteed bounce back guy, but an age-old veteran like Vogelsong is past fixable at this point. The only reason Vogelsong was ever in the Giants rotation the last couple of years was because the Giants were plagued by injuries and depth issues. Again, I love how Searage has done, but I think this is just too much for him. We'll see how it goes, but as of right now, the move isn't that great.