Carlos Pena is headed back to the Rays on a one-year/$7.25 million deal, Jon Heyman is reporting today. That’s less than the $10 million he made with the Cubs last year. The Pirates never even feigned interest in Pena this winter (at least not as near as I could tell), and so it’s probably not worth wondering what they would’ve had to pay him to come to Pittsburgh. Between this and the Derrek Lee news, I’d say that we can be pretty certain that the Pirates will open up 2012 with some kind of Garrett Jones/Casey McGehee/Nick Evans platoon at first base.
Meanwhile, Bill James has decided to rank the 100 best pitchers’ duels of 2011. The Pirates make the list three times: there are two Jeff Karstens starts and a Charlie Morton start on there. Had you told me on January 20, 2011 that Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens would be involved in three of the 1,000 best pitchers’ duels of 2011, I probably would’ve been excited.
