It’s not a done deal, but the Pirates are reportedly close to signing former A’s infielder Bobby Crosby to a one-year deal.
Crosby hit 22 home runs as a shortstop in 2004, and has since hit 9, 9, 8, 7, and 6 in the subsequent seasons, posting a murderous .239 / .302 / .366 while missing significant time to injury (he’s only played 100 games once in the past five seasons).
If there’s any upside to the deal, I’m assuming the cost will be minimal (Dejan Kovacevic currently estimates one year at about $1.5 million), and Crosby was a once bright talent and a plus defender at short, so he’s capable of challenging Ronny Cedeno for full-time making outs in front of the pitchers’ spot duty.
At the very least, Crosby doesn’t block any of the Pirates’ pressing prospects, and he gives them some flexibility in the infield with a better bat than Luis Cruz, but his injury problems and consistently painful offensive numbers — even for a shortstop in a decent pitchers’ park like Oakland — make this deal very, very difficult to get even the least bit excited about.
As an added bonus, fans will now be able to wear jerseys to PNC that technically bear the name of a current Pirates player.
UPDATE: It’s a done deal, pending a physical. Meaning, a Pirates team doctor will come within 50 feet of Crosby, shriek loudly, and run away, and the Pirates will be like, “Um…I guess that means we sign him?”
Tags: A's, Blockbuster Deals, Bobby Crosby, Hot Stove
