Pirates close to deal with Jonathan Sanchez

The Pirates are close to signing Jonathan Sanchez, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The deal is not yet finalized, but it is believed to a minor-league contract, per Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Sanchez has been working on his mechanics all winter, but that is no guarantee of an improvement over his performance last season.

In 2012, he pitched 64⅔ innings and had an ERA of 8.07. He compiled those numbers for Kansas City and Colorado.

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He was acquired by the Royals before the 2012 season in exchange for Melky Cabrera, in what has become a much-bantered about trade.

Sanchez was at one time considered to be a top pitching prospect, and was a key part of the Giants' rotation for a couple of seasons. He even threw a no-hitter for the team in 2008.

The Pirates have been somewhat active in the lower-tier of the free-agent market this offseason, though their two-year deal with left-hander Francisco Liriano is still being renegotiated because of a fracture in his non-throwing arm suffered over the holidays.