The Pirates on Friday pieced together their 40-man roster with an eye toward protecting their pitching. Among the five new faces on the list are right-handers Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, Ramon Aguero and Chris Jakubauskas.
Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez also was placed on the 40-man roster. The move excludes those players from the Rule 5 draft, which will be held Dec. 10 at the winter meetings in Indianapolis.
Weve added some guys who, were really intrigued by their upside, general manager Neal Huntington said.
Jakubauskas was claimed off waivers from Seattle. Last season, he went 6-7 with a 5.32 ERA in 35 games (eight starts) for the Mariners. The Pirates will look at him first as a starter, then as a long-relief candidate.
Jakubauskas, who will turn 31 in December, played four seasons in the Independent Leagues before signing with Seattle in June 2007.
To clear a spot for Jakubauskas, righty Jeff Karstens was designated for assignment. Catcher Robinzon Diaz and lefty reliever Justin Thomas also were dropped.
Karstens went 4-6 with a 5.42 ERA last summer, working mostly as a reliever. Thomas was claimed off waviers from Seattle just three weeks ago.
Jakubauskas has all three minor-league options left; Karstens is out of options.
If Karstens and Thomas are not claimed, the Pirates can send them outright to Triple-A Indianapolis. Diaz must be either traded or released.
Lincoln had reconstructive elbow surgery 10 months after the Pirates made him the fourth overall pick of the 2006 draft. Fully recovered, the right-hander has won 13 games over the past two seasons in the minors.
Over three years, Lincoln, 24, is 14-19 with a 4.70 ERA. He split last season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.
Hernandez, 22, was traded from Atlanta last summer in a deal for Nate McLouth. Last season, he hit .282 with 50 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
Last season, Morris, 22, went 4-9 with a 5.57 ERA in 15 starts for Class A Lynchburg. The Los Angeles Dodgers sent him to Pittsburgh two years ago as part of the Jason Bay trade.
Aguero, 24, last season pitched in relief for low-A West Virginia, Lynchburg and Altoona. In 54 career outings (13 starts), he is 3-14 with a 4.94 ERA. Aguero, a native of the Dominican Republic, was signed four years ago as a non-drafted free agent.
Last season, after we moved him to the bullpen, he got a lot of guys out and opened a lot of eyes, Huntington said. Hes got a power sink with the makings of a breaking ball and a changeup. He has a lot of the traits were looking for.
Pirates 40-MAN ROSTER
Pitchers (20) – Ramon Aguero, Jose Ascanio, Matt Capps, Anthony Claggett, Zach Duke, Phil Dumatrait, Joel Hanrahan, Kevin Hart, Stephen Jackson, Chris Jakubauskas, Brad Lincoln, Paul Maholm, Daniel McCutchen, Evan Meek Bryan Morris, Charlie Morton, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Sues, Ron Uviedo, Donnie Veal
Catchers (2) – Ryan Doumit, Jason Jaramillo
Infielders (12) – Pedro Alvarez, Brian Bixler, Ronny Cedeno, Jeff Clement, Luis Cruz, Argenis Diaz, Aki Iwamura, Andy LaRoche, Steve Pearce, Ramon Vazquez, Neil Walker, Delwyn Young
Outfielders (6) – Gorkys Hernandez, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge, Brandon Moss, Jose Tabata.
