Pirates Release Joe Beimel

The Pittsburgh Pirates have released left-handed reliever Joe Beimel, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. The news comes seven days after Beimel was designated for assignment.

Beimel signed a minor league deal that would have paid him $1.75 million if he made the 25-man roster. While a team could have taken on Beimel's contract, he would have been owed roughly $300K for the remainder of the season (from today). A team can now sign him for the major league minimum, and save a few nickels and dimes.

Here's what we said about Beimel when he was first designated for assignment:

Teams looking for a lefty reliever might be interested in Beimel, including the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies. Troy Renk suggests that Beimel loved his time in Colorado, but may not be a good fit to return. Signed to a minor league deal earlier this year, Beimel's $1.75M salary while in the majors will be big incentive to bite, says Buster Olney.