Kevin Correia always looked at the offseason as a time to step away from baseball and recharge.

“Usually, I don’t even want to see a baseball for the first couple weeks,” he said. “But then, I start getting the itch again.”

This winter was different. Correia took a couple of weeks off as usual, but his thoughts were focused on something other than how close he came to making the playoffs last season with the San Diego Padres or the free-agent process that netted him a two-year contract with the Pirates.

Correia used this offseason to come to grips with the death of his younger brother.

In May, Trevor Correia fell off a cliff while hiking at Channel Islands National Park near Santa Barbara, Calif. Kevin, the older brother by eight years, got the news in Houston, where he was preparing to pitch the next day against the Astros.

After a week on bereavement leave, Correia started May 15 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. The right-hander gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings and took the loss. He also dropped his next start five days later against the Dodgers.

Seven days off was not enough time for Correia to work through his emotions. But the surprising Padres were leading the NL West, and he felt a responsibility to his teammates.

“It was tough,” he said. “It was the middle of the season and I still had work to do, so I had to push it back as far as I could. It’s hard to really focus on the games. It’s hard to put your whole heart into it.”

Correia finished 10-10 with a 5.40 ERA. In 2009, his first year with the Padres, he was 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA.

Non-tendered by the Padres, Correia, 30, became a free agent this offseason. He already was on the Pirates’ radar; general manager Neal Huntington was not alarmed by Correia’s statistical dropoff.

“Our scouts saw almost the exact same stuff they saw during his success in 2009,” Huntington said. “The huge bump in his ERA was due to a lot of factors beyond his control.”

Although the bullpen was one of the Padres’ strengths last season, Huntington said it had more bad outings in relief of Correia than any of the other starters. Huntington also noted that Correia’s walk and strikeout rates were better last year than in 2009.

“We saw some very positive signs,” he said. “There’s every reason in the world to believe he’ll have a solid bounce-back year and again be that guy who has a chance to win every time he takes the ball.”

In early December, Correia signed a two-year, $8 million contract. It was the first time since 1998 that the Pirates signed a free-agent pitcher to a multiyear deal.

“He wanted to be part of turning this around and wanted more than just one year,” Huntington said. “We felt he’s the type of person and pitcher that makes it a good investment.”

After finding peace with his emotions, Correia believes he will live up to his end.

“I was able to sit back and figure things out,” he said. “In the long run, that will make me stronger and better from a baseball standpoint. I can go out there and know it’s not a do-or-die situation. There are other things in life that are more important. It frees me to go out there and maybe do some stuff I wasn’t able to do before.”

When the Pirates asked Correia to fly from California to snowy Pittsburgh this weekend for PirateFest, he quickly said yes. He figured it would be a good way to start meeting his new teammates, none of whom he has played with before.

Correia gazed around David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which was packed with fans and all things baseball. He smiled, knowing he made the right choice.

“Coming to an event like this, it helps me flip the switch,” he said. “I’m excited to get back out there and throw the ball again.”

Note: Only single-seat and standing-room tickets remain for the Pirates’ home opener April 7 against Colorado and the June 25 interleague game against Boston. Single-game tickets went on sale Saturday morning. Team spokesman Brian Warecki said tickets for the Skyblast promotions June 11, July 9 and Aug. 6 also are in high demand. On Friday, marketing director Lou DePaoli said season-ticket sales are up 10 percent from this time a year ago.

Additional Information:

By the numbers

Kevin Correia’s career stats:

2003 (Giants): 10 games,3-1 record,3.66 ERA,39.1 IP,9.4 H/9,4.1 BB/9,6.4 SO/9

2004 (Giants): 12,0-1,8.05,19.0,11.8,4.7,6.6

2005 (Giants): 16,2-5,4.63,58.1,9.4,4.8,6.8

2006 (Giants): 48,2-0,3.49,69.2,8.3,2.8,7.4

2007 (Giants): 59,4-7,3.45,101.2,8.3,3.5,7.1

2008 (Giants): 25,3-8,6.05,110.0,11.5,3.8,5.4

2009 (Padres): 33,12-11,3.91,198.0,8.8,2.9,6.5

2010(Padres): 28,10-10,5.40,145.0,9.4,4.0,7.1

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