Pirates general manager Neal Huntington clarified that left-hander Kevin Siegrist was never a free agent, despite the team’s initial announcement to the contrary.
Siegrist, whom the Pirates signed as a minor-league free agent in February, did not report to Class AAA Indianapolis after not making the major league club out of spring training. On Thursday, the Pirates announced he had refused his assignment and was a free agent, but they corrected themselves the following day, stating that Siegrist was in fact placed on the minor-league suspended list.
Huntington said the initial incorrect announcement was the result of “poor communication” on his part to director of baseball communications Jim Trdinich.