The slow offseason for Major League Baseball continues to drag on, but now with the Winter Meetings taking place, perhaps things will start to pick up a little more.

The Pirates were one of the first teams to make a signing at the meetings. Pittsburgh has signed former Atlanta Braves reliever Ben Heller to a minor league deal.

Heller pitched 18.2 innings for Atlanta last season, recording a 3.86 ERA. Heller struck out 7.7 batters per nine innings, but he also walked 5.5 batters per nine innings.

Injuries have hampered the 32 year old’s major league career, including a Tommy John surgery and a stress fracture in his elbow. As a result, Heller has just 50.0 major league innings to his name.

Last season, however, Heller spent the entire year healthy. The righty started the year in Tampa Bay with the Rays. In May, he was selected to the active roster, but was demoted back to Triple-A after the Rays acquired reliever Robert Stephenson. (from the Pirates).

In June, he was traded to the Braves, and spent the rest of the season in Atlanta’s bullpen.

After the season, the Braves outrighted him to their Triple-A affiliate in nearby Gwinnett. Heller rejected that assignment however, and opted into free agency.

(Featured photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)