Pirates sign John Jaso

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Twitter Wednesday that they signed outfielder John Jaso to a two-year contract. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal followed up with a report that Jaso will earn $8 million.

Jaso, 32, was reacquired by the Rays in January along with Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell in the trade that sent infielders Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to the A's. In 70 games serving as an outfielder and designated hitter for Tampa Bay, Jaso batted a career-high .286 with a .380 on-base percentage and .459 slugging percentage. He totaled five home runs and 17 doubles, but a wrist injury caused him to miss half the season.

The Devil Rays originally drafted Jaso in the 12th round of the 2003 draft, and he played in 203 games over a four-year span from 2008 to 2011 before being traded to Seattle for a reliever. In one season with the Mariners, the left-handed hitter set career highs with 10 home runs, a .394 OBP and .850 OPS. In 550 career games, he's a .263 hitter with a .767 OPS.

Jaso spent much of his career as a catcher but did not go behind the plate for the Rays in 2015. It's expected that he'll join a platoon with Michael Morse at first base, where he has only played two games in his career. In 2013, Jaso and Morse were both involved in a three-team trade that sent Jaso to Oakland and Morse to Seattle.