Strickland, Bucs agree on minor league pact

The relief pitcher will get a one-year contract if added to the major league roster.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Right-handed reliever Scott Strickland, limited to five games in two seasons after reconstructive elbow surgery, agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a minor league contract.
Strickland, who has pitched for the Astros, Mets and Expos, would get a $650,000, one-year contract if he is added to the major league roster. He also can earn as much as $150,000 in performance bonuses.
Strickland chose to become a free agent after not making the Mets' roster last spring and later signed a minor league deal with Houston.
He had a 6.75 ERA in five games with the Astros, but became a free agent again after refusing a minor league assignment once the season ended.
The 29-year-old Strickland appeared in 77 games with Montreal in 2001 and 69 games with the Mets and Expos in 2002. He has a career record of 12-21 with a 3.34 ERA in 236 games.
Strickland was troubled by elbow discomfort after initially signing with the Astros and was held out of games, but later joined Triple-A Round Rock before pitching briefly for the Astros.
Spring training
The Pirates open their spring training schedule by playing the Washington Nationals on March 2-3, then close it by playing the Minnesota Twins three consecutive days.
As usual, the Pirates' most-played spring opponents are the Reds and Twins, with six games against each team on their 33-game schedule.
The Reds' camp in Sarasota, Fla., is a 20-minute drive from the Pirates' camp in Bradenton, while the Twins are based in Fort Myers.
Three of the six Pirates-Twins games will be played March 30-April 1, after most of the other teams that hold spring training in Florida have closed their camps and headed north.
The Pirates play the Phillies four times and the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays three times each. They face the New York Yankees, Nationals and Jim Leyland-managed Detroit Tigers twice, plus one game against the Atlanta Braves.
Pittsburgh opens the season April 3 in Milwaukee.
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