Former Tribe Star Inks Five-Year Deal With Pirates
Published on March 16, 2008 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Former Indianapolis Indians right-hander Ian Snell has signed a five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The agreement includes three guaranteed years (2008, 2009 and 2010) with club options for the following two seasons (2011 and 2012).
The deal could be worth at least $24 million, according to the Pirates' official web site. The three guaranteed years are reportedly worth $8 million, while the two option seasons could total over $16 million.
"We are pleased to keep Ian in a Pirates uniform through at least the 2012 season," Pirates Senior Vice President & General Manager Neal Huntington said in the club's release. "Ian's performance over the past two seasons ranks him among the best young starting pitchers in the game and he will play a crucial role in our success.
"This is another example of the organization's commitment to build a championship caliber club. Retaining talented young players developed in our system will help us achieve our goal of bringing championships back to Pittsburgh."
Snell led Pittsburgh in ERA (3.76), strikeouts (177) and innings pitched (208.0) during the 2007 campaign while making a team-high 32 starts in his second full Major League season. He also averaged 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked 10th among all National League pitchers.
In 2006, the 26-year-old led the Pirates in wins (14) and strikeouts (169).
Snell went 11-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 18 starts for Indianapolis during the 2005 campaign. He was invited to the Triple-A All-Star Game (Sacramento, Calif.) and All-Star Futures Game (Detroit, Mich.) that season, but was recalled by the Pirates before both contests.
On May 15, 2005, Snell fired the first nine-inning no-hitter in Victory Field history. The performance went down as the Tribe's first single-pitcher, nine-inning no-hitter since May 24, 1974. It also marked just the seventh single-pitcher, nine-inning no-no in over 100 years of Indians Baseball.
Snell and former Indy left-hander Zach Duke -- who is also in Pittsburgh's starting rotation -- owned the most victories (21) of any one-two punch in all of professional baseball through the first three months of 2005. Snell had posted a 9-2 record and 4.06 ERA in 15 starts for the Indians, while Duke had recorded a 12-3 mark and 2.92 ERA in 15 starts for the Tribe.
Snell was taken by the Pirates in the 26th round of the 2000 draft. He was Pittsburgh's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2003 and a three-time All-Star during his six Minor League seasons.
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