Francisco Liriano Heads to Pittsburgh
By Matt Adams
Oh boy, the market for White Sox departing free agents has blown wide open. First, Youkilis to the Yanks, then A.J. to the Rangers, and now we find ourselves bidding farewell to Francisco Liriano has he becomes a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2 years and $14M. So basically Liriano is getting paid the same amount as Pierzynski in 2012. What a world.
The similarities between A.J. Pierzynski and Francisco Liriano don’t end there. Liriano was part of the package that San Francisco sent to Minnesota in exchange for A.J. Also coming to the Twin Cities were A.J.’s new teammate Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser.
Liriano was the pitcher that made the Twins comfortable trading away Johan Sanatana as he prepared to enter free agency, though injuries kept us from seeing the pitcher he may have become. As it stands, Liriano is one of the more inconsistent pitchers in the league. Though he occasionally flashes dominating performances, his overall performance level has fallen well below average in the last couple years. He joins a Pirates rotation that is headlined by A.J. Burnett, James McDonald, and Wandy Rodriguez.
The White Sox traded for Liriano mid-season, parting ways with Eduardo Escoabar and Pedro Hernandez. In his 12 games with the White Sox Liriano produced a 5.40 ERA striking out over a batter per inning, while also walking 5.1 per 9.