PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

Barajas will make $4 million in 2012 and $3.5 million if he is retained for the 2013 season. The 36-year-old hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs last season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Pirates are in need of catching help after declining the options on veterans Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit.

“’’They were aggressive,” Barajas said. “They gave me the feeling they really wanted me to be a part of their team. They played good baseball for four months last season and showed a lot of improvement. I thought this would be a good situation to be in.”

Barajas is one of the top power-hitting catchers in the game. His 50 homers over the last two years are third-most by a major league catcher over that span.

“He has the combination of attributes we’re looking for, an experienced catcher with the willingness to help improve a young pitching staff and he also adds some power to the lineup,” Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said.

Barajas, a career .238 hitter, has 125 home runs and 449 RBIs in 1,010 career games with Arizona, Texas, Toronto, Philadelphia, the New York Mets and the Dodgers.

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PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas(notes)
have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

Barajas will make $4 million in 2012 and $3.5 million if he is retained for
the 2013 season. The 36-year-old hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs last
season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Pirates are in need of catching help after declining the options on
veterans Chris Snyder(notes) and Ryan Doumit(notes).

“”They were aggressive,” Barajas said. “They gave me the feeling they
really wanted me to be a part of their team. They played good baseball for four
months last season and showed a lot of improvement. I thought this would be a
good situation to be in.”

Barajas is one of the top power-hitting catchers in the game. His 50 homers
over the last two years are third-most by a major league catcher over that span.

“He has the combination of attributes we’re looking for, an experienced
catcher with the willingness to help improve a young pitching staff and he also
adds some power to the lineup,” Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington
said.

Barajas, a career .238 hitter, has 125 home runs and 449 RBIs in 1,010
career games with Arizona, Texas, Toronto, Philadelphia, the New York Mets and
the Dodgers.

PITTSBURGH (AP)

The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

There is the quick update of the day.

Veteran catcher Rod Barajas has signed a
one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a club option
for 2013, the Major League Baseball team said on Thursday.

The 36-year-old free agent, who ranks third among all
catchers in the majors with 50 home runs since the beginning of
the 2009 season, hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs for the
Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

While no financial details were disclosed by the Pirates,
local media estimate the deal to be worth $4 million in 2012
and $3.5 million in 2013.

“They were aggressive,” Barajas, who said he had received
offers from several other teams, told the Pirates’ official
website (http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news).

“They definitely showed that they wanted me to be a part of
the team. For me, to feel like I’m wanted is huge. The way they
came after me, that’s what you want to feel when you’re a free
agent.”

Barajas has a career average of .238 with 125 home runs and
449 RBIs in spells with Arizona, Texas, Philadelphia, Toronto,
the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran catcher Rod Barajas have agreed to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.

Barajas will make $4 million in 2012 and $3.5 million if he is retained for the 2013 season. The 36-year-old hit .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs last season while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Pirates are in need of catching help after declining the options on veterans Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit.

“”They were aggressive,” Barajas said. “They gave me the feeling they really wanted me to be a part of their team. They played good baseball for four months last season and showed a lot of improvement. I thought this would be a good situation to be in.”

Barajas is one of the top power-hitting catchers in the game. His 50 homers over the last two years are third-most by a major league catcher over that span.

“He has the combination of attributes we’re looking for, an experienced catcher with the willingness to help improve a young pitching staff and he also adds some power to the lineup,” Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said.

Barajas, a career .238 hitter, has 125 home runs and 449 RBIs in 1,010 career games with Arizona, Texas, Toronto, Philadelphia, the New York Mets and the Dodgers.