On Wednesday a newspaper in Parma reported that the Italian Baseball League club Parma has signed 26-year-old pitcher Justin Cicatello for the 2010 season. According to general manager Massimo Fochi the former player for the Serie A2 club Sala Baganza is supposed to split time on the mound with Marco Grifantini and Mihai Burlea. Cicatello had an 8-2 record with an ERA of 1.48 in twelve games (six starts) in 2009, striking out 74 batters in 73 innings (33 walks).
Parma also is interested in adding the 36-year-old catcher Manuel Gasparri to the roster. He played for Nettuno in 2009 and batted .190 (OBP .248/SLG .248) in 34 games. A deal seems already in place and is likely to be announced on January 31st among other new players. Fochi further said that Luca Scalera (.188/.278/.250) will get the chance to take over as regular third baseman. On the foreign front, they are looking to bring in another starting pitcher and a strong outfielder, who can be used as cleanup hitter.
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