Pirates sign John Jaso to two year contract

The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced the signing of first baseman/outfielder John Jaso to a twoyear contract. The announcement was made by Pirates Executive Vice President, General Manager Neal Huntington.

Jaso, 32, hit .286 (53-for-185) and produced an .839 OPS in 70 games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015. He missed the first three months of the season after suffering a left wrist injury on Opening Day (4/6). After returning to action on July 7, Jaso led the Rays with a .377 on-base percentage over the last three months and hit .321 (17-for-53) in his final 22 games.

"John Jaso is a proven Major League hitter who is a great complement to our existing lineup," said Huntington. "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."

The left-handed hitting Jaso was originally selected by Tampa Bay in the 12th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft and made his big league debut with the Rays in 2008. He was traded to Seattle prior to the 2012 campaign and recorded career highs in home runs (10), RBI (50) and OPS (.850) while playing in 108 games with the Mariners that season. Jaso also spent two seasons (2013-14) with Oakland before being traded back to Tampa on January 10, 2015.

In 550 career games in the Major Leagues, Jaso has produced a .263 batting average and a .361 on-base percentage.