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Ryan Vogelsong pitched for the Pirates from 2001 to 2006 before playing in Japan and returning to the majors with the San Francisco Giants.
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Pirates sign Ryan Vogelsong to one-year deal

Kathy Willen/Associated Press

Pirates sign Ryan Vogelsong to one-year deal

 The Pirates’ newest pitcher is a familiar old face. 

Ryan Vogelsong, a right-hander, signed a one-year deal with the team Friday, helping the Pirates fill their starting rotation. Vogelsong, 38, from Kutztown, Pa., pitched for the Pirates from 2001-06 before playing in Japan, then returning to the majors with the San Francisco Giants in 2011.

The deal is worth $2 million, plus a possible $3 million in incentives, according to an industry source.

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General manager Neal Huntington said Friday, "Because of [Vogelsong's] desire to come back and pitch in Pittsburgh, the contract he has agreed to allows us to redistribute dollars elsewhere."

Vogelsong, a Giants fifth-round draft pick in 1998, went 9-11 with a 4.67 ERA in 33 appearances, 22 starts this past season for the Giants. He is not the pitcher the Pirates knew a decade ago, nor are the Pirates the franchise he knew then. Vogelsong was an All-Star in 2011 and won World Series titles with the Giants in 2012 and 2014.

“He’s been where we’re working to get to,” Huntington said. “He’s going to be able to share that experience and what he’s seen and heard along the way toward those championship clubs … [He’s] a guy who is motivated to come back here, take care of business and help this club win.”

Vogelsong will join Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese and Jeff Locke in the Pirates starting rotation.

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“As we sit here today, we plan on [Vogelsong] being in our rotation,” Huntington said. “He’s going to have to continue to pitch well enough to keep that spot.”

Asked whether he would be comfortable if the current rotation ends up as the starting five on opening day, Huntington replied:

“As you look back at where our rotation was going into 2015, with Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett coming off a down year, Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke, I don’t think anybody would have projected that rotation was going to put us in a position to win 98 games.”

With this rotation, plus the money saved by swapping out Morton for Vogelsong, plus the pitching prospects who should be ready at some point this season, Huntington said the Pirates are not in desperate need of another starter.

“We feel like we’ve been able to reallocate dollars accordingly,” Huntington said, “and put together a club we feel will fight, compete and be in a position to potentially make a fourth run into the postseason.”

Red Sox pursue Neverett

The Boston Red Sox are pursuing Pirates announcer Tim Neverett and recently offered him the role of play-by-play man on their WEEI radio broadcasts, according to the Boston Herald.

Neverett, 49, met with Red Sox and Entercom officials this week in Boston, according to the report, but has not yet accepted the offer. He is from Nashua, N.H., and graduated from Emerson College in Boston, where he played college baseball for four seasons.

Neverett and Brian Warecki, the Pirates vice president of communications and broadcasting, did not return requests for comment.

Neverett posted the following message on his Twitter account Friday afternoon, but quickly deleted it: “Being from there, it would be hard to turn down but decision is not final. Lot of factors to consider.”

Neverett joined the Pirates in December 2008 after spending the previous four years working for FSN Rocky Mountain. His first radio job, at age 19, was for the Nashua Pirates, who, at that time, were the Pirates’ Class AA affiliate.

Pitcher released

Three weeks after acquiring right-hander Allen Webster from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations, the Pirates released him, further thinning their starting-pitching depth.

Webster, 25, was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks in November and had no minor league options remaining. Multiple sources independently confirmed Friday that Webster intends to sign with a team in the Korean Baseball Organization, the league Jung Ho Kang played in for nine seasons prior to signing with the Pirates early this year.

Webster was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 18th-round draft pick in 2008 and emerged as a promising prospect in stints with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. Webster had a 6.13 ERA in 28 career major league appearances, 23 starts.

Huntington said he could not comment on the matter until the waiver process is complete. In November, he said Webster “is a prospect that we’ve liked in the past, we liked in a scouting look this season.”

Harrison ready for new role

Josh Harrison can play anywhere, but the Pirates’ new second baseman has additional familiarity with what appears to be his new permanent position.

“I was drafted as a second baseman and I definitely feel comfortable there,” Harrison said a PirateFest last weekend.

“I really want to just play one position, but I understand that I have the ability to bounce around. I take pride in that. I love being athletic and being able to play other positions, but I would like to play one position.”

Harrison’s defensive versatility served as one of several factors that allowed the Pirates to trade Neil Walker. Because manager Clint Hurdle is comfortable with Harrison, 28, at second, they can play Jung Ho Kang at third and leave Jordy Mercer at shortstop.

“Neil’s going to be missed,” Harrison said. “But that’s the name of this game. We understand the business side. It allows me to play second base, I’m comfortable there, and I’m ready.”

Harrison might not settle into the everyday second-base role right away. Kang is recovering from knee surgery and might miss opening day. He is making progress — “April is more likely than May,” Huntington said — but the Pirates might need Harrison at third to begin the season.

A torn ligament in Harrison’s thumb disrupted his 2015 season. When he returned, it took him a few weeks to acclimate himself to major league pitching, but when he did, he returned to his 2014 form — a .378 average, .425 on-base percentage and nine doubles in his final 80 plate appearances of the season.

“You don’t really have swing-and-miss stuff down there,” Harrison said regarding his minor  league rehabilitation assignment. “You don’t have pitchers that want to throw the back-foot slider. When I rehabbed, I probably saw 85 to 90 percent fastballs. I was going up there basically taking strike one. I was taking pitches for them hoping to get an 0-2 count, but they were still just pumping me fastballs.”

Bill Brink contributed to this report. Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.

First Published: December 18, 2015, 9:19 p.m.
Updated: December 19, 2015, 12:11 a.m.

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Ryan Vogelsong pitched for the Pirates from 2001 to 2006 before playing in Japan and returning to the majors with the San Francisco Giants.  (Kathy Willen/Associated Press)
Kathy Willen/Associated Press
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