Francisco Liriano, Pirates could agree to minor-league deal

Tom Singer, in a textbook case of burying the lede, notes in the seventh paragraph of an article about non-roster invitees that Francisco Liriano could be joining the Bucs on a minor-league deal.

Indications are that Francisco Liriano -- when all the roadblocks to formalizing his signing are cleared -- will wind up coming to camp on a Minor League deal and an invite.

You may recall that the Pirates' initial two-year deal with Liriano fell through, but it was reported about a week ago that Liriano and the Pirates had agreed to a restructured two-year deal that limited the Bucs' liability if Liriano's recently-broken non-pitching arm turned out to be a problem. The Pirates still haven't officially announced that deal.

Who knows, but if Liriano is forced to agree to a minor-league deal, that's a pretty good indication that the broken arm is, in fact, quite a big problem. The Pirates might save some money in such a scenario, but the back end of their rotation would again be in question.

Then again, this is the seventh paragraph of a Tom Singer article, so who knows.