Liriano Happy To Stay With Pittsburgh, Despite Offers From Several Teams
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - Francisco Liriano cites that the big reason he came back to the Pirates wasn't exactly because of money – though the Pirates did what turned out to be a bidding war.
He re-signed with the Bucs because, as he put it, "It's like family here and we have a chance to win not only this year, but for the next few years."
Liriano came to the Pirates as a reclamation project in 2013, dominated the Senior Circuit and won the National League Comeback Player-of-the-Year award. In 2014, he pitched hurt early in the year and had modified success before returning to his dominant self in the second half of the season.
That second half surge allowed the free agent to have plenty of suitors for his services.
Speaking publicly for the first time since last season, Liriano divulged to 93.7 The Fan that he was courted primarily by Boston, Minnesota, Houston and Kansas City.
The Royals seemed to be the biggest threat to luring Liriano away from the Pirates. He was offered $34 million over three years, with that offer increasing to $36 million for three years.
The Pirates eventually won the bidding war, paying a total of $39 million for Liriano's services over the next three seasons.
According to baseball-reference, he'll earn $11,666,666 in 2015 and $13,666,667 in 2016 and 2017.
It appears to be money well-spent, considering his secondary stuff ranks among the best in the game. Liriano's slider, according to Fangraphs.com, is the 10th best in baseball, while his changeup ranks 8th among all Major League hurlers.
Additionally, the Pirates have built a strong foundation on pitchers who throw lots of two-seam fastballs and induce ground balls.
Liriano issued the 6th highest ground ball percentage in the game last year.
The Pirates made a $15.1 million qualifying offer to Liriano and as expected, he declined. In some cases when a team extends a qualifying offer to a player, it can limit a player's market value. If he signs with another team, the team that signs the player will lose a high draft pick in the year's upcoming draft.
Liriano told us that he was speaking to 12 teams before the Pirates offered and the number of employers shrunk to four. Despite that, Liriano felt that did not hamper the number of potential employers he could pick from.
"I always wanted to stay here and I got the best deal here, so I came back," he said.
Dan Zangrilli is the host of the Pirates pre-game and post-game shows before and after every Pirates game on 93.7 The Fan. You can follow Dan on twitter: @DanZangrilli