Matt Joyce to sign with Athletics

2016 Pirates outfielder Matt Joyce has agreed to terms with the Athletics on a two-year, $11 million deal, a bit less than the two-year, $13 million deal I predicted he'd get. Joyce, of course, signed with the Pirates on a minor league deal last spring, but earned some security after a brilliant .242/.403/.463 season in Pittsburgh. With fellow lefty John Jaso under contract for 2017 and penciled in for a bench role, though, the Bucs didn't figure to retain Joyce.

Let's take a minute to appreciate, though, just how great Joyce was for the Pirates. He led the Pirates in OBP and finished sixth in home runs despite only recording 293 plate appearances. He also finished second on the team with 59 walks, which is downright amazing. In fact, Joyce's 20.1 BB% would have easily led the majors if he'd had enough plate appearances to qualify -- Bryce Harper's 17.2% walk rate wasn't even close. Joyce's time with the Pirates was brief, but it was terrific, and he and his fellow bench-mates Sean Rodriguez and David Freese were key reasons the Bucs' season didn't fall apart completely.