Pittsburgh Pirates Acquire RHP Jason Grilli

According to, well, Jason Grilli, the Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired right-handed relief pitcher Jason Grilli. The 34-year-old Michigan native was pitching for Philadelphia’s AAA affiliate Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs when the Pirates made him an offer to be placed on their major league roster. Due to a clause in Grilli’s contract, if Grilli received a major league contract offer, the Phillies were required to either promote him to their major league team, or release him immediately and let him sign. According to Grilli’s twitter, he will be joining the Pirates sometime soon. Manager Clint Hurdle is familiar with Grilli, who pitched for Hurdle’s Colorado Rockies in 2008 and ’09. Grilli finished ’08 with a 2.93 ERA in 51 appearances. He missed all of 2010 recovering from knee surgery, but is 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA and three saves in 28 games in AAA this season. While the Pirates have not officially announced the acquisition, they will need to make room ...