Ryan Vogelsong to sign minor league deal with Twins

2016 Pirate Ryan Vogelsong has reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with the Twins.

There were no indications that the Pirates planned to re-sign the 39-year-old Vogelsong, who produced a 4.81 ERA and uninspiring peripherals for them and missed a significant chunk of time after getting hit in the face with a ball (and courageously making his way back from the ugly injury that resulted). The Bucs’ decision last offseason to pay Vogelsong $2 million plus a bunch of incentives remains as mystifying as it was at the time.

Anyway, he’ll get a shot with a rebuilding Twins club, which seems like a good spot for him. The Twins’ 5.08 staff ERA last year was even worse than Vogelsong’s; they obviously have all kinds of options who are significantly younger and more interesting, but they might still be able to put Vogelsong as a long reliever or spot starter. It’s unclear whether he would be willing to go to the minors at this point, which he hasn’t done for a significant stretch since 2010.