The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed former catcher John Jaso to a two-year deal, the club announced Wednesday. The deal is for a total of $8 million, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.I say former because Jaso caught zero games last season while spending parts of eight in the outfield and serving as a designated hitter in parts of 48 games. Jaso was mostly a catcher before that, but rates out pretty poorly in most defensive evaluations. 
Jaso's role with the Pirates looks like a platoon partner for Mike Morse at first base right now, ostensibly a replacement for the spot vacated by the release of Pedro Alvarez. The lefty-swinging Jaso is a career .274/.368/.429 hitter against right-handers, as opposed to .178/.309/.232 against lefties.Jason Rogers will be involved in the mix, too. He hit .296/.367/.441 in 169 plate appearances for Milwaukee last season.No, Jaso doesn't have much experience defensively at first base, but he's going to convert.“John Jaso is a proven Major League hitter who is a great complement to our existing lineup,” general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. “John is enthusiastic about playing in Pittsburgh and developing as a first baseman. We feel he has the ability to play the position at the major league level, while adding significantly to our offensive production.”Jaso, 32, hit .286/.380/.459 (132 OPS+) with 17 doubles, five homers and 22 RBI in just 216 plate appearances last season for Tampa Bay. He's long held great value with the bat -- particularly in getting on base -- against right-handers. He doesn't strike out at a terrible rate and some seasons walked more often than he struck out.Jaso has spent his entire career to this point in the American League.Matt Snyder/CBS Sports
Jaso's role with the Pirates looks like a platoon partner for Mike Morse at first base right now, ostensibly a replacement for the spot vacated by the release of Pedro Alvarez. The lefty-swinging Jaso is a career .274/.368/.429 hitter against right-handers, as opposed to .178/.309/.232 against lefties.Jason Rogers will be involved in the mix, too. He hit .296/.367/.441 in 169 plate appearances for Milwaukee last season.No, Jaso doesn't have much experience defensively at first base, but he's going to convert.“John Jaso is a proven Major League hitter who is a great complement to our existing lineup,” general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. “John is enthusiastic about playing in Pittsburgh and developing as a first baseman. We feel he has the ability to play the position at the major league level, while adding significantly to our offensive production.”Jaso, 32, hit .286/.380/.459 (132 OPS+) with 17 doubles, five homers and 22 RBI in just 216 plate appearances last season for Tampa Bay. He's long held great value with the bat -- particularly in getting on base -- against right-handers. He doesn't strike out at a terrible rate and some seasons walked more often than he struck out.Jaso has spent his entire career to this point in the American League.Matt Snyder/CBS Sports
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