Karstens, Pirates agree to deal: The Pirates announced Tuesday that they agreed to a one-year deal with SP Jeff Karstens, avoiding arbitration. (Updated 01/17/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 2/12/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Karstens struggled down the stretch in 2011, but overall he was a success as a starter. He went 8-8 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 26 starts last season. Unfortunately, Karstens didn't strike out a ton of batters, so he was more of a low-end Fantasy start. Karstens is nothing more than a late-round Fantasy flier. (Updated 01/17/2012).
01/17/2012 13:22 Pirates nearly triple Karstens' salary, OK $3.1M deal
Right-hander Jeff Karstens and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a $3.1 million, one-year contract, nearly triple his $1.15 million earnings last year.
Jeff Karstens enjoyed the best campaign of his career in 2011 and appears to have solidified himself as a starter in Pittsburgh. After starting the season in the bullpen, he joined the rotation on April 17 and never looked back. The right-hander posted a 3.82 ERA over his first seven starts and got better as the season went on to finish 9-9 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 appearances (26 starts). He also threw the second complete-game shutout of his career on July 15 against the Astros. Karstens has shown some solid improvement over the last three seasons and could be in for his best year yet in 2012. While his strikeout numbers are not that impressive, consider the 29-year-old a low-end Fantasy SP on Draft Day. (Updated 1/12/12)