Pirates sign Jason Stoffel to minor league deal

The Pirates have announced that they've signed righty Jason Stoffel to a minor league deal. (They also officially announced the signing of lefty Dan Runzler, whose deal with the team had previously been reported.)

The 28-year-old Stoffel pitched in relief for the Orioles' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2016, posting a combined 2.44 ERA, 11.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 while serving as a closer. He's never played in the big leagues, but that strikeout rate suggests there's at least a bit of potential there. I can't find a recent report on his velocity, however (which itself can sometimes be pretty telling). PITCHf/x recorded him throwing in the 93 MPH range in 2010 and 2011.

Stoffel was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in 2009. He headed to the Astros organization in 2011 in a deal involving former Pirates infield prospect Jeff Keppinger, then to the Orioles in a minor deal during the 2015 season. The Orioles re-signed him to a minor league deal last winter. For his career, he has a 3.34 ERA, 9.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 426.1 innings, all of them in relief. He has 116 career minor league saves.