The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced they have agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Ian Snell on a five year contract, the first three guaranteed with club options for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The announcement was made by Neal Huntington, the Pirates Senior Vice President and General Manager. Snell led the club in ERA (3.76), strikeouts (177) and innings pitched (208.0) during the 2007 campaign while making a team-high 32 starts in his second full season in the major leagues. He also averaged 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 2007, which ranked 10th among all National League pitchers. "We are pleased to have reached agreement on a contract with Ian Snell that gives us the ability to keep him in a Pirates uniform at least through the 2012 season. Ian's performance over the past two seasons ranks him among the best young starting pitchers in the game and he will play a crucial role in our success," said Huntington. "This is another example of the organization?s commitment to build a championship caliber club. Retaining talented young players developed in our system will help us achieve our goal of brining championships back to Pittsburgh," said Huntington.