The Pittsburgh Pirates announced this afternoon that the team signed Andy Marte, Fernando Nieve, and Dusty Brown to minor league deals and have invited all three players to Spring Training.
Marte, who five years ago was named one of the top 5 prospects in all of baseball by Baseball America, hit .229 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI’s last season in 80 games played with the Cleveland Indians.
The 27 year old third baseman is a career .218 hitter in 924 plate appearances and has been a complete disappointment in his career. He is expected to battle for a corner infield spot in spring training.
Nieve, 28, pitched 42 innings with the New York Mets in 2010, posting a 6.00 ERA.
Brown, 28, is a career minor leaguer and appeared in seven games for the Boston Red Sox in 2010. He batted .250 in 12 at-bats in 2010.