The Pirates said that the extension ties Keller with the franchise throughout the 2028 MLB season but didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement.

Reportedly, Keller’s deal is worth $77 million and kicks in this year, making it a five-year extension. His annual salary will exponentially rise throughout the deal until it reaches $20 million in 2028.

The news about his new contract comes just a few days after Keller was named the Opening Day starter for the Pirates. This will be the second year in a row that he’s the first Pirates pitcher on the mound at the start of the new season.

“This is a great day for the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement released by the team. “The intangibles that Mitch brings, in terms of head, heart, commitment, attitude, and leadership, really make a huge impact not only on who we are now as a team but who we will be as we move forward. Having known Mitch for nearly 10 years, to watch him grow as a player and person has been a privilege.”

Mitch Keller was drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of high school. He made his debut in the majors in 2019 and has since started 100 games and posted a 25-38 record with a 4.71 ERA and 521 strikeouts. Keller had his best campaign in MLB in 2023, having a 13-9 record and earning an All-Star nod. 

The post Pirates Sign RHP Mitch Keller to New 5-Year, $77 Million Contract appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

McCutchen returned to Pittsburgh for his second spell with the Pirates ahead of the 2023 campaign. He batted .256 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs in 112 games before a partial tear of his Achilles tendon ended his season in September.

McCutchen spent the first nine years of his MLB career with the Pirates, earning five All-Star nods and earning NL MVP honors in 2013. He later had stints with the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers.

The Pirates brought back McCutchen last season because they needed leadership and experience in their clubhouse. However, the 37-year-old showed that he can also make an impact on the field, although mainly as a designated hitter. He is expected to serve in the same role next season as well.

An additional year in the majors gives McCutchen an opportunity to hit some significant milestones. He needs only one home run to get into 300 homers club, which would also make him only the 26th player in MLB history with 300 home runs and 200 stolen bases.

The post Pirates Bring Back Veteran OF Andrew McCutchen on a 1-Year Deal appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Reynolds’ extension kicks in this year and is reportedly worth $106.75 million. This marks the first $100+ million contract Pirates handed out to a player in the history of the franchise. The Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Royals, and the Oakland Athletics now remain the only MLB teams that haven’t had a player on a nine-figure deal.

As part of his extension, Reynolds received a limited no-trade clause that allowed him to block a trade to six teams of his choosing each year. He doesn’t have an opt-out, while the Pirates received a club option for 2031.

Reynolds initially requested a trade from the Pirates back in December after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new deal. However, Pittsburgh was unwilling to lose their arguably best player and instead tried to make an extension happen. The talks reportedly picked up steam in recent days, and each party made compromises on their previous stances to push the deal over the finishing line.

Reynolds, who was an All-Star and NL triples leader in 2021, is off to a great start to the season. He is batting .294 with five homers and 18 RBIs while helping the Pirates to a surprising 16-8 record and first place in NL Central.

The post Pirates Sign All-Star OF Bryan Reynolds to 8-Year, $106.75 Million Extension appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In corresponding moves, the Pirates transferred outfielder Bryan Reynolds to the bereavement list and placed first baseman Ji-Man Choi on the 60-day injured list.

Maggi, who turns 34 in May, was drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He spent four years with the organization before embarking on stints with the Los Angeles Angels, the LA Dodgers, the Cleveland Indians, the Minnesota Twins, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite coming close a few times, the Phoenix, Arizona native never got a chance to play on the biggest stage.

Maggi returned to the Pirates last year and made a strong case in spring training but failed to make the major league roster. He was assigned to Double-A Altoona Curve to start 2022, playing eight games and batting .194 with three RBIs and one stolen base.

“I always believed this moment would come,” Maggi said on Sunday. “There was a little bit of me that was like, ‘You love playing baseball. Keep going, no matter where you’re at. Crazy things happen in this game.’ So, I’m very thankful that I’m here and I get to enjoy this.”

In his 1,155 games in the minor league, Maggi batted .254 and had 354 RBIs, 45 homers, and 222 stolen bases.

The post Pirates’ Drew Maggi Called Up to MLB After 13 Years in the Minors appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In order to get Musgrove, Padres parted ways with four prospects including center fielder Hudson Head and pitcher David Bednar. The New York Mets also got involved in the deal, sending prospect Endy Rodriguez to Pittsburgh and getting San Diego’s lefty Joey Lucchesi.

Padres confirmed the news on Tuesday, making the announcement via social media.

Musgrove, who was 1-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 2020, is a great pickup for the Padres, considering he’s under contract for two more seasons and will earn just $4.45 million annually. He is expected to be slotted high in the team’s rotation, possibly even right behind Snell and Darvish.

The 28-year-old pitcher’s place will largely depend on the conditioning of right-hander Dinelson Lamet, who has a long injury history and was forced to miss last season’s playoffs due to a biceps injury.

Joe Musgrove made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 2016 and was part of the team’s World Series-winning roster in 2017. He was traded to the Pirates early in 2018 in a move that saw the Astros landing ace Gerrit Cole.

Musgrove has a 29–38 record as a starter with a 4.33 ERA and 465 career strikeouts.

The post Padres Trade for Pirates RHP Joe Musgrove appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s have long been adept at finding unheralded arms and turning them into important bullpen pieces, and this appears to be their aim in what is a low-risk deal with the rebuilding squad.

Turley, who is 31 years old, made his Big League debut with the Twins in 2017 and then missed the next two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He returned to the mound in 2020 with the Pirates and posted a 4.98 ERA in 25 appearances, mostly as a lefty specialist. Turley struggled with walks and hit batters as well, but he did strike out 20 batters in only 21.2 innings of work.

Turley looks to be a candidate to fill a spot in the A’s bullpen heading into the season, but will likely face competition from other lefty arms like Jake Diekman and AJ Puk for a prominent role.

The California native returns to his home state and will still be under team control for the next six seasons, setting up the A’s to potentially have an important piece in their staff for years to come if Turley can polish up his control.

The post Oakland A’s Add Lefty Reliever Nik Turley in Trade with Pirates appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the trade might be surprising initially, it made sense from the Pirates’ standpoint to make the deal. Bell struggled in 2020, batting .226 and recording only eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 57 games. He is also on an expiring contract and is set to earn $6 million in 2021.

The Nationals, on the other hand, are hoping they will get the version of Bell from two years ago. In the 2019 MLB season, the 28-year-old slugger had a .277 batting average while knocking 37 homers and 116 RBIs in 143 games.

The Pirates get a nice return in Crowe, who was ranked as the third-best prospect in the Nationals’ farm system. The 26-year-old player made his MLB debut in 2020, starting three times and posting an 11.88 ERA with eight strikeouts. He went 7-10 with a 4.70 ERA in the minors in 2019.

“Wil Crowe commands a solid fastball and several good secondary pitches. He brings a strong reputation and work ethic and has a chance to compete for Major League innings in 2021,” said Pittsburgh’s general manager Ben Cherington.

Yean, on the other hand, has 20 starts in the minors in which he compiled a 3-7 record with 4.70 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

The post Pirates Trade All-Star 1B Josh Bell to Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The story of the game was Ryan Dobnak, the starting pitcher for the Twins who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, and attended around 150 Pirates games at PNC Park as a kid. Making his Pittsburgh “homecoming” as the opposing pitcher was not as he expected, as the 200 friends and family he estimated would have attended, had to watch from home instead, due to there being no fans allowed in stadiums in 2020.

With his parents trying to catch a glimpse of him from the Roberto Clemente bridge close to the stadium, Dobnak threw 6 shutout innings and only allowed 3 hits as he continued his hot start to the season and lowered his ERA to 0.60. The game remained 1-0 until the 9th inning when Max Kepler blew it open with a 3 run shot which proved to be the difference.

The Pirates scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th thanks to a two-out 2 run home run from Josh Bell, but it wasn’t enough as Pittsburgh fell to 2-10, baseball’s worst record. Trevor Williams pitched 7 dominant innings, letting up 1 run on 3 weak hits, but he left the game at 1-0 and suffered his 3rd loss of the season.

The post Twins Win 6th Straight Match, First Team to 10 Wins appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Jays, learned last Friday that they would need to find a place within the United States to play, had been rumored to be considering their triple-A affiliate’s park in Buffalo, New York as well as their Dunedin, Florida Spring Training facility for this year’s games. However, reports soon followed that both facilities were deficient in terms of locker room space and lighting.

This meant that the Blue Jays have had to look at other options, and the idea of playing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and sharing the Pirates’ stadium with the Buccos is a possibility which is attractive for various reasons.

PNC Park is considered one of the best stadiums in all of professional sports, and COVID-19 cases in the Pittsburgh area are currently much lower than in other Major League cities.

“This will be a monumental challenge for our staff, but leaning in to help others is what Pittsburghers do best. If we are able to safely accommodate, not only will it bring additional international attention to our city, it will also bring with it jobs and revenue for local hotels, restaurants and other businesses that will support the Blue Jays organization as well as additional visiting teams,” said Pirates president Travis Williams when asked about the possibility of the Jays sharing their home stadium with them.

Toronto is running out of time to settle on its Plan B choice, with their home opener coming up on July 29.

The post Blue Jays Reportedly Considering Sharing PNC Park With Pirates For 2020 Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Maile, who was expected to play a key backup role behind starter Jacob Stallings at the position, will instead miss up to three months after undergoing surgery to fix the fracture in his finger.

The former Blue Jay was taking part in an intrasquad practice game with his teammates when he was hit by a pitch on his right hand. He exited the scrimmage immediately, and X-rays later found that the worst-case scenario of a broken digit had come true.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton lamented Maile’s injury, stating that “It’s really unfortunate for Luke because he felt like he was in one of the better spots he had been in his career swinging the bat, which was very evident in terms of how he looked during our intrasquad games.”

Maile is a career .198 hitter at the plate in five Big League seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, but has been lauded for his excellent defensive and pitch-framing skills behind the dish.

John Ryan Murphy is now expected to slot in behind Stallings as the team’s backup catcher.

The post Pirates C Luke Maile to Miss 10-12 Weeks With Broken Finger appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Pirates said that the extension ties Keller with the franchise throughout the 2028 MLB season but didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement.

Reportedly, Keller’s deal is worth $77 million and kicks in this year, making it a five-year extension. His annual salary will exponentially rise throughout the deal until it reaches $20 million in 2028.

The news about his new contract comes just a few days after Keller was named the Opening Day starter for the Pirates. This will be the second year in a row that he’s the first Pirates pitcher on the mound at the start of the new season.

“This is a great day for the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement released by the team. “The intangibles that Mitch brings, in terms of head, heart, commitment, attitude, and leadership, really make a huge impact not only on who we are now as a team but who we will be as we move forward. Having known Mitch for nearly 10 years, to watch him grow as a player and person has been a privilege.”

Mitch Keller was drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of high school. He made his debut in the majors in 2019 and has since started 100 games and posted a 25-38 record with a 4.71 ERA and 521 strikeouts. Keller had his best campaign in MLB in 2023, having a 13-9 record and earning an All-Star nod. 

The post Pirates Sign RHP Mitch Keller to New 5-Year, $77 Million Contract appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

McCutchen returned to Pittsburgh for his second spell with the Pirates ahead of the 2023 campaign. He batted .256 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs in 112 games before a partial tear of his Achilles tendon ended his season in September.

McCutchen spent the first nine years of his MLB career with the Pirates, earning five All-Star nods and earning NL MVP honors in 2013. He later had stints with the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers.

The Pirates brought back McCutchen last season because they needed leadership and experience in their clubhouse. However, the 37-year-old showed that he can also make an impact on the field, although mainly as a designated hitter. He is expected to serve in the same role next season as well.

An additional year in the majors gives McCutchen an opportunity to hit some significant milestones. He needs only one home run to get into 300 homers club, which would also make him only the 26th player in MLB history with 300 home runs and 200 stolen bases.

The post Pirates Bring Back Veteran OF Andrew McCutchen on a 1-Year Deal appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Reynolds’ extension kicks in this year and is reportedly worth $106.75 million. This marks the first $100+ million contract Pirates handed out to a player in the history of the franchise. The Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Royals, and the Oakland Athletics now remain the only MLB teams that haven’t had a player on a nine-figure deal.

As part of his extension, Reynolds received a limited no-trade clause that allowed him to block a trade to six teams of his choosing each year. He doesn’t have an opt-out, while the Pirates received a club option for 2031.

Reynolds initially requested a trade from the Pirates back in December after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new deal. However, Pittsburgh was unwilling to lose their arguably best player and instead tried to make an extension happen. The talks reportedly picked up steam in recent days, and each party made compromises on their previous stances to push the deal over the finishing line.

Reynolds, who was an All-Star and NL triples leader in 2021, is off to a great start to the season. He is batting .294 with five homers and 18 RBIs while helping the Pirates to a surprising 16-8 record and first place in NL Central.

The post Pirates Sign All-Star OF Bryan Reynolds to 8-Year, $106.75 Million Extension appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In corresponding moves, the Pirates transferred outfielder Bryan Reynolds to the bereavement list and placed first baseman Ji-Man Choi on the 60-day injured list.

Maggi, who turns 34 in May, was drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He spent four years with the organization before embarking on stints with the Los Angeles Angels, the LA Dodgers, the Cleveland Indians, the Minnesota Twins, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite coming close a few times, the Phoenix, Arizona native never got a chance to play on the biggest stage.

Maggi returned to the Pirates last year and made a strong case in spring training but failed to make the major league roster. He was assigned to Double-A Altoona Curve to start 2022, playing eight games and batting .194 with three RBIs and one stolen base.

“I always believed this moment would come,” Maggi said on Sunday. “There was a little bit of me that was like, ‘You love playing baseball. Keep going, no matter where you’re at. Crazy things happen in this game.’ So, I’m very thankful that I’m here and I get to enjoy this.”

In his 1,155 games in the minor league, Maggi batted .254 and had 354 RBIs, 45 homers, and 222 stolen bases.

The post Pirates’ Drew Maggi Called Up to MLB After 13 Years in the Minors appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In order to get Musgrove, Padres parted ways with four prospects including center fielder Hudson Head and pitcher David Bednar. The New York Mets also got involved in the deal, sending prospect Endy Rodriguez to Pittsburgh and getting San Diego’s lefty Joey Lucchesi.

Padres confirmed the news on Tuesday, making the announcement via social media.

Musgrove, who was 1-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 2020, is a great pickup for the Padres, considering he’s under contract for two more seasons and will earn just $4.45 million annually. He is expected to be slotted high in the team’s rotation, possibly even right behind Snell and Darvish.

The 28-year-old pitcher’s place will largely depend on the conditioning of right-hander Dinelson Lamet, who has a long injury history and was forced to miss last season’s playoffs due to a biceps injury.

Joe Musgrove made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros in 2016 and was part of the team’s World Series-winning roster in 2017. He was traded to the Pirates early in 2018 in a move that saw the Astros landing ace Gerrit Cole.

Musgrove has a 29–38 record as a starter with a 4.33 ERA and 465 career strikeouts.

The post Padres Trade for Pirates RHP Joe Musgrove appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The A’s have long been adept at finding unheralded arms and turning them into important bullpen pieces, and this appears to be their aim in what is a low-risk deal with the rebuilding squad.

Turley, who is 31 years old, made his Big League debut with the Twins in 2017 and then missed the next two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He returned to the mound in 2020 with the Pirates and posted a 4.98 ERA in 25 appearances, mostly as a lefty specialist. Turley struggled with walks and hit batters as well, but he did strike out 20 batters in only 21.2 innings of work.

Turley looks to be a candidate to fill a spot in the A’s bullpen heading into the season, but will likely face competition from other lefty arms like Jake Diekman and AJ Puk for a prominent role.

The California native returns to his home state and will still be under team control for the next six seasons, setting up the A’s to potentially have an important piece in their staff for years to come if Turley can polish up his control.

The post Oakland A’s Add Lefty Reliever Nik Turley in Trade with Pirates appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the trade might be surprising initially, it made sense from the Pirates’ standpoint to make the deal. Bell struggled in 2020, batting .226 and recording only eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 57 games. He is also on an expiring contract and is set to earn $6 million in 2021.

The Nationals, on the other hand, are hoping they will get the version of Bell from two years ago. In the 2019 MLB season, the 28-year-old slugger had a .277 batting average while knocking 37 homers and 116 RBIs in 143 games.

The Pirates get a nice return in Crowe, who was ranked as the third-best prospect in the Nationals’ farm system. The 26-year-old player made his MLB debut in 2020, starting three times and posting an 11.88 ERA with eight strikeouts. He went 7-10 with a 4.70 ERA in the minors in 2019.

“Wil Crowe commands a solid fastball and several good secondary pitches. He brings a strong reputation and work ethic and has a chance to compete for Major League innings in 2021,” said Pittsburgh’s general manager Ben Cherington.

Yean, on the other hand, has 20 starts in the minors in which he compiled a 3-7 record with 4.70 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

The post Pirates Trade All-Star 1B Josh Bell to Nationals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The story of the game was Ryan Dobnak, the starting pitcher for the Twins who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, and attended around 150 Pirates games at PNC Park as a kid. Making his Pittsburgh “homecoming” as the opposing pitcher was not as he expected, as the 200 friends and family he estimated would have attended, had to watch from home instead, due to there being no fans allowed in stadiums in 2020.

With his parents trying to catch a glimpse of him from the Roberto Clemente bridge close to the stadium, Dobnak threw 6 shutout innings and only allowed 3 hits as he continued his hot start to the season and lowered his ERA to 0.60. The game remained 1-0 until the 9th inning when Max Kepler blew it open with a 3 run shot which proved to be the difference.

The Pirates scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th thanks to a two-out 2 run home run from Josh Bell, but it wasn’t enough as Pittsburgh fell to 2-10, baseball’s worst record. Trevor Williams pitched 7 dominant innings, letting up 1 run on 3 weak hits, but he left the game at 1-0 and suffered his 3rd loss of the season.

The post Twins Win 6th Straight Match, First Team to 10 Wins appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Jays, learned last Friday that they would need to find a place within the United States to play, had been rumored to be considering their triple-A affiliate’s park in Buffalo, New York as well as their Dunedin, Florida Spring Training facility for this year’s games. However, reports soon followed that both facilities were deficient in terms of locker room space and lighting.

This meant that the Blue Jays have had to look at other options, and the idea of playing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and sharing the Pirates’ stadium with the Buccos is a possibility which is attractive for various reasons.

PNC Park is considered one of the best stadiums in all of professional sports, and COVID-19 cases in the Pittsburgh area are currently much lower than in other Major League cities.

“This will be a monumental challenge for our staff, but leaning in to help others is what Pittsburghers do best. If we are able to safely accommodate, not only will it bring additional international attention to our city, it will also bring with it jobs and revenue for local hotels, restaurants and other businesses that will support the Blue Jays organization as well as additional visiting teams,” said Pirates president Travis Williams when asked about the possibility of the Jays sharing their home stadium with them.

Toronto is running out of time to settle on its Plan B choice, with their home opener coming up on July 29.

The post Blue Jays Reportedly Considering Sharing PNC Park With Pirates For 2020 Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Maile, who was expected to play a key backup role behind starter Jacob Stallings at the position, will instead miss up to three months after undergoing surgery to fix the fracture in his finger.

The former Blue Jay was taking part in an intrasquad practice game with his teammates when he was hit by a pitch on his right hand. He exited the scrimmage immediately, and X-rays later found that the worst-case scenario of a broken digit had come true.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton lamented Maile’s injury, stating that “It’s really unfortunate for Luke because he felt like he was in one of the better spots he had been in his career swinging the bat, which was very evident in terms of how he looked during our intrasquad games.”

Maile is a career .198 hitter at the plate in five Big League seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, but has been lauded for his excellent defensive and pitch-framing skills behind the dish.

John Ryan Murphy is now expected to slot in behind Stallings as the team’s backup catcher.

The post Pirates C Luke Maile to Miss 10-12 Weeks With Broken Finger appeared first on yoursportspot.com.