According to various published reports, the Pirates are close to inking a deal with Cuban defector Yuslan Herrera. Herrera, 25, is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed pitcher. He went 18-7 with a 3.27 ERA in Cuba, and helped lead his country to a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics before defecting a year later. Herrera's agent, Jaime Torres, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Wednesday that a three-year agreement has been reached, "pending a physical." "We're in the process of getting [Herrera] the necessary visa and paperwork," Torres said. "Once that's done, we should have a final binding contract."