Pirates' Juan Nicasio: Avoids arbitration with Pirates

Nicasio and the Pirates avoided arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $3.65 million deal Friday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Analysis:

The Pirates gave Nicasio a try in the rotation in 2016, hoping he could be another bargain-bin reclamation project, before eventually moving him back to the bullpen. He put up a 2.96 ERA after his return to the bullpen, so expect him to remain a reliever this season.