Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez to a minor league contract, the team announced Wednesday. The deal includes an invitation to the club's spring training camp.
Sanchez threw a no-hitter with San Francisco in 2009 and won a personal-best 13 games while posting a 3.0 earned run average and 205 strikeouts for the Giants the subsequent season, helping the franchise capture a World Series title that year. His career has underwent a downturn since, however, and the left-hander is coming off a dreadful 2012 campaign spent with Kansas City and Colorado.
The 30-year-old went just 1-9 with an 8.07 ERA over 15 starts last season and issued 53 walks over a total of 64 2/3 innings pitched. Sanchez was traded by the Royals to the Rockies in July, but started only three games for Colorado before being shelved for the year due to a biceps injury the following month.
Over seven major league seasons with the Giants, Royals and Rockies, Sanchez has compiled a 39-55 overall record with a 4.58 ERA in 189 games (133 starts).
