Pittsburgh Pirates: Huntington Gives Fans 11 Million More Reasons for Optimism

In the last few days, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has spent nearly $11 million dollars building a strong pitching staff and increasing the optimism of Pirates fans.

Bolstering the Pen

On Saturday Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that reliever Chris Resop was signed to a one-year, $850,000 contact, according to a source. Then yesterday Brink reported that Joel Hanrahan agreed to a one-year $4.1 million contract.

Filling the Rotation

Today Brink reported that according to a source, Charlie Morton agreed to a $2,445,000 one-year contract and that Jeff Karstens agreed to a one-year deal for $3.1 million, according to a source.

Apparently the Pirates are serious about making a difference with their pitching staff in 2012. If you recall, in December at the Winter meetings in Dallas, Huntington signed left-hander Erik Bedard to a one-year $4.5 million contract.

More to Come?

In addition to these signings, Brink reported on Saturday than Huntington said the team has payroll flexibility, depending on the results of arbitration.

With Evan Meek, Garrett Jones, and Casey McGehee remaining arbitration eligible, it looks possible that Huntington may have a move or two left.