The Pirates signed right-hander Rick VandenHurk, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. VandenHurk had elected free agency last week after declining an outright assignment by the Indians.
Cleveland had designated the out of options 26-year-old for assignment after claiming him off of waivers from the Blue Jays. Toronto had signed him to a Major League contract in February, soon after the Orioles released him.
VandenHurk spent most of the 2011 season as a starter at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.43 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 154 1/3 innings. The native of the Netherlands has MLB experience in five seasons, but he appeared in just four games for last year's Orioles team.
This seems like a good fit for Rick. I wish him the best.