Pirates' Duke signs, Jones claimed on waivers

Jan 20, 2010 - 1:46 AM PITTSBURGH(AP) -- Pirates left-handed starter Zach Duke avoided a possible arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $4.3 million, one-year contract.

Tuesday was the deadline for teams and players to exchange salary arbitration figures.

The 26-year-old Duke gets a $1 million raise from last season, when he was 11-16 with a 4.06 ERA in 32 starts while allowing 231 hits in 213 innings. He also was chosen for the All-Star game.

Duke had been the Pirates' only remaining arbitration-eligible player.

The Pirates also claimed outfielder Brandon Jones off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and added him to their 40-man roster.

The left-handed hitting Jones spent most of last season at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .281 with 28 doubles, seven home runs and 57 RBIs in 107 games. He played in 51 games with Atlanta the last three seasons - 41 games in 2008 - and had a .257 average.

The Braves took Jones off their 40-man roster last week to make room for outfielder Eric Hinske, who began last season with Pittsburgh.