A couple bits of news this morning:

-P- Former Pirates outfielder Nyjer Morgan has signed with the Yokohama BayStars. The deal is for just $1.6 million, which suggests that either Morgan really wanted to go to Japan or, more likely, that he didn't get much interest from big-league teams. Morgan didn't hit at all last year, and of course he's certifiably insane, but he's so valuable defensively that you'd think he might have gotten another clean shot at a major-league job.

-P- The Mets have agreed to terms with Shaun Marcum on a one-year deal. It's not yet clear how much money Marcum will make, and his health issues probably limited his value, but Marcum at one year sounds awfully good after the Pirates signed Francisco Liriano for two. I thought the Liriano deal was generally a good idea, but one year for Marcum would have been a great one.