Eric O'Flaherty

Pirates sign Eric O'Flaherty to minor league deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed lefty reliever Eric O'Flaherty to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training.

What It Means:

O'Flaherty struggled in 2015, posting a 8.10 ERA over 30 innings with the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets while battling left shoulder issues. He's been an effective reliever in previous seasons, and the Pirates have an impressive track record of resurrecting pitchers, so it's a great landing spot for the veteran 31-year-old.

Although still a high total, O'Flaherty's xFIP of 4.82 in 2015 was significantly lower than his ERA, and he owns a 3.90 xFIP for his career. He's never been a big strikeout guy -- his career strikeout percentage is 17.8, below the league average of 20.4 percent -- but lefties have posted just a .251 wOBA against him for his career.