On January 19, 1979, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Lee Lacy to a six-year deal worth over $1,00,000. The 30-year-old Lacy spent the first seven years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was a .270 hitter in 497 games and he played five different positions. In six years with the Pirates, Lacy would hit .304 in 638 games and steal 140 bases. He had just 26 stolen bases with the Dodgers.