Pirates announce series of minor league signings

The Pirates today sent out a press release with a list of a dozen Spring Training invites. A lot of the names aren't surprising (Chad Kuhl, Trevor Williams, Steven Brault, Adam Frazier, Dan Gamache, Antoan Richardson and Jacob Stallings; Reese McGuire is there too, which isn't a shock since Spring Training requires a ton of catchers). Several of the names, though, are new, or at least I don't recall having seen them, which suggests that the Bucs have made several more minor league signings than had been previously announced. Here they are.

C Ed Easley: A 30-year-old who's posted relatively good hitting numbers at the Triple-A level and who played briefly for the Cardinals last year. With Elias Diaz and perhaps Stallings likely to require a bunch of playing time at Indianapolis this year, Easley appears likely to be a backup.

IF Juan Diaz: Played for Triple-A New Orleans in the Marlins' system last season and hit .272/.315/.373. Briefly played for the Indians in 2012.

RP Jim Fuller: 28-year-old lefty who had a good year for Triple-A Nashville in the A's organization last season.

SP Kelvin Marte: Another 28-year-old lefty. Marte pitched last season with Double-A Richmond in the Giants organization, posting a 2.63 ERA but with underwhelming peripherals.

These players will likely help fill out the Pirates' minor league rosters, which, of course, is fine. None of them appear to be as interesting as, say Cole Figueroa or Danny Ortiz, two non-roster invitees whose signings were reported earlier in the offseason.