Jung-Ho Kang, Pirates reportedly agree to terms

Jim Bowden tweets that Jung-Ho Kang has agreed to a four-year deal in the $16 million range, with an option for a fifth year. Bowden did major damage to his reputation as a reporter last summer, so feel free to take this news with a grain of salt for now.

Still, this makes sense. Kang is reportedly flying to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, and as I noted last night, it's unlikely he'd do that without a pretty good idea he would be able to sign a contract once he got there. Previous reporting had suggested he would get a four-year deal, and a $16 million total makes sense given what Kang was reportedly seeking.

The option (which I assume is a team option, although Bowden didn't say that) is a nice bonus for the Pirates -- that would cover 2019, which will be Kang's age-32 season. If Kang is any good (which is still far from certain, despite the amount of hype surrounding this signing), the Bucs will be getting the entire remainder of his prime.