Source: Donnelly, Pirates agree to deal

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The Pittsburgh Pirates, adding another piece to an offseason bullpen revamp, reached a preliminary agreement with veteran reliever Brendan Donnelly on a one-year contract for about $1.5 million, a baseball source told ESPN.com.

The deal, which is pending completion of a physical exam, includes performance bonuses that could increase Donnelly's payout to about $3 million, the source said.

Donnelly, 38, has a 29-9 career record with a 3.02 ERA in eight seasons with the Angels, Red Sox, Indians and Marlins. He posted a 3-0 record with a 1.78 ERA in 30 appearances for Florida last season.

In December, the Pirates declined to offer a contract to Matt Capps, their primary closer last year. He subsequently agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals.

The Pirates signed former White Sox and Royals reliever D.J. Carrasco to a minor league deal Saturday, and are close to an agreement with free agent Octavio Dotel.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Dotel and Donnelly cannot be added to the Pirates' 40-man roster until the team makes moves to create spots for them.

Pittsburgh's bullpen posted an 18-28 record and tied for 25th in the majors with a 4.61 ERA last season.

Jerry Crasnick covers baseball for ESPN Insider.

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Jerry Crasnick | email

ESPN.com MLB Sr. Writer

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• ESPN.com senior writer
• Author of "License to Deal"
• Former Denver Post national baseball writer