Pirates/MLB category, Page 43
Pirates avoid arbitration with 4 players ahead of 2025 season but can’t come to terms with 2
The Pittsburgh Pirates avoided arbitration with starting pitcher Bailey Falter, relievers David Bednar and Colin Holderman and catcher Joey Bart on Thursday by agreeing each to one-year contracts, according to a source. The Pirates did not come to a settlement with right-handed pitchers Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana prior to...
Pirates sign pitcher Caleb Ferguson
The Pittsburgh Pirates added a versatile pitcher to the staff Wednesday, agreeing to one-year, $3 million deal with lefty Caleb Ferguson, according to a source. Ferguson, 28, has the potential to work in relief or join the starting rotation. He was 1-4 with a 4.64 ERA, 67 strikeouts and one...
Former Pirates All-Star pitcher Bob Veale, part of 1971 World Series champions, dies at 89
The famous story about Bob Veale, one Steve Blass loves to share when talking about his halcyon days with the Pittsburgh Pirates, involves the two-time All-Star left-handed pitcher’s glasses. At 6-foot-6, 212 pounds and armed with a ferocious fastball — the great Pirates announcer Bob Prince once said he could...
Pirates add righty reliever Elvis Alvarado to 40-man roster for bullpen depth
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-handed reliever Elvis Alvarado to their 40-man roster Tuesday, adding bullpen depth with a player signed to a split contract last month. Alvarado, 25, is a converted outfielder who has yet to make his major league debut. He throws a 98 mph four-seam fastball and a...
KHL player pulls a Rodolfo Castro and loses cellphone on ice mid-shift
I’m sure Pittsburgh baseball fans fondly remember that Pirates game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022 when former infielder Rodolfo Castro’s cellphone popped out of his back pocket while he was sliding into third base. Well, a Russian hockey player just said, “Rodolfo, hold my beer.” Or, perhaps better said,...
MLBPA affiliate withdraws image lawsuit against Pirates’ parent company, SheetzVideo
An affiliate of the Major League Baseball Players Association withdrew its lawsuit against the parent company of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Sheetz Inc. that alleged unlicensed use of players’ names and images on social media. MLB Players Inc., a union business subsidiary, filed a complaint Aug. 14 in U.S. District...
First Call: Livvy Dunne posts photos with Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler in New Orleans in advance of vehicle attackVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was in New Orleans at the time of the New Year’s Eve vehicle attack. His girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, posted pictures in the hours before the tragedy. Also, the Penguins are on the road to face the reigning Stanley Cup champions. A former Penguin had a...
2024 in Pittsburgh professional sports: Revamped Steelers’ QB room, Pirates’ phenom pitcher among top storylines
The year began with the Pittsburgh Steelers losing their fifth consecutive playoff game, keeping alive a streak that dates to the 2016 postseason. It ended with the Steelers, while reeling from a three-game losing streak, assured of another trip to the playoffs and a chance to end the franchise’s longest...
‘It’s still there’: Franchise icon Andrew McCutchen re-signs with Pirates for 2025
Andrew McCutchen made no secret of his hope to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates, so the franchise icon only had to put a finger on his pulse to check to see if he still had the desire. That was never in question as McCutchen made it clear he intends to...
Recovered from trade whirlwind, new Pirates 1B Spencer Horwitz excited for opportunity
Dec. 10 was shaping up to be a fairly routine offseason weekday for Spencer Horwitz, who had made plans with his girlfriend to go see “Gladiator II” in theaters. Then, news broke of Andres Gimenez’s trade from the Cleveland Guardians to the Toronto Blue Jays. Minutes later, Horwitz, who played...
Trey Cabbage released by Pirates in order to pursue opportunity to play in Japan
Trey Cabbage’s short stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates ended Tuesday when the outfielder/first baseman cleared unconditional release waivers and was released from their roster. Cabbage is pursuing an opportunity to play in Japan, where he is expected to sign with the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Cabbage,...
Pirates acquire infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez from Red Sox
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday morning in exchange for minor-league pitcher Joe Vogatsky. Valdez, 25, appeared in 76 games for the Red Sox last year, slashing .214/.270/.363 with six homers and 28 RBIs but was designated for assignment Dec. 11. In...
New Pirates bullpen coach Miguel Perez brings familiarity with organization’s pitchers
A surplus of familiar faces is set to greet Miguel Perez when he joins the Pittsburgh Pirates for spring training in a few months. Perez, whom the Pirates named big-league bullpen coach Friday afternoon, spent the past three seasons as skipper of the Indianapolis Indians. After overseeing the Pirates’ Triple-A...
Mark Madden: Pirates ownership will always choose profit over winning, even amid Paul Skenes’ window
The Pittsburgh Pirates have Paul Skenes, just 22, the NL Rookie of the Year and already MLB’s best pitcher. Yet it seems like a time of no hope. To date, the Pirates’ big offseason move is trading a solid starting pitcher in Luis Ortiz for Spencer Horwitz, a meh first...
Pirates add 5 players, lose 3 in minor league phase of Rule 5 Draft
With the eighth overall selection in this year’s Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates passed on making a pick. However, in the minor-league portion of the draft, the Pirates added five players: righty reliever Franck De La Rosa (Athletics), left-handed relievers Randy Labaut and Steve Hajjar (both from...
Pirates announce 2025 home game times, promotional schedule
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced their 2025 promotional schedule and home game times Wednesday afternoon. The New York Yankees will be the Pirates’ first opponent at PNC Park, with the two clubs set for a 4:12 p.m. first pitch April 4, 2025, which will be the Pirates’ home opener. That marks...
Pirates trade for 1B Spencer Horwitz, sending RHP Luis Ortiz, 2 lefties to Cleveland
The Pittsburgh Pirates pulled off their first major offseason trade Tuesday night by sending right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and a pair of lefty prospects to the Cleveland Guardians for first baseman Spencer Horwitz. The 27-year-old Horwitz is a left-handed hitter who batted .265/.357/.433 with 19 doubles, 12 home runs and...
Pirates sign righty reliever Elvis Alvarado, formerly of Marlins farm system
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-handed relief pitcher Elvis Alvarado to a major league split contract, a source confirmed to TribLive on Tuesday. The deal with Alvarado, 25, is pending a physical. Split contracts are different from guaranteed deals and feature varying financial compensation for players based on whether they are...
Pirates get No. 6 pick in 2025 MLB Draft lottery, marking their 6th consecutive year in top 10
The Pittsburgh Pirates moved into the top six of the 2025 MLB Draft lottery, getting the No. 6 overall pick Tuesday night during baseball’s winter meetings in Dallas. The Pirates, who had retired catcher Jason Kendall representing them on the dais for the draft lottery special on MLB Network, had...
‘A division we can win’: Derek Shelton says Pirates need to add bats to starting pitching
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton told MLB Network he believes they can win the National League Central Division if they can add offense to complement their starting pitching. During a guest appearance Monday on “MLB Tonight” during baseball’s winter meetings in Dallas, Shelton was asked if he’s pounding the table...
Tim Benz: Forget ‘Golden At-Bats.’ Let’s talk ‘Golden Contracts’
I feel as if I should be having some sort of emotional reaction to the New York Mets giving Juan Soto more than three-quarters of a billion dollars over 15 years. I’m not. The baseball fan inside me ought to be screaming about what this means for the state of...
First Call: Wyatt Teller tamps down complaints about Steelers fans; plans for Bryan Reynolds at 1BVideo
Tuesday’s “First Call” follows up on those complaints about Steelers fans from one of the Cleveland Browns’ wives. We know the full broadcast plans for the Christmas Day game on Netflix between the Steelers and Chiefs. Pirates manager Derek Shelton has an update on Bryan Reynolds’ future position. Also, the...
Pirates great Dave Parker elected into Hall of Fame by Classic Baseball Era CommitteeVideo
For some time, Dave Parker’s Hall of Fame exclusion has been considered an injustice among baseball circles in and out of Pittsburgh. But Sunday night, the 16-person Classic Baseball Era Committee deemed Parker, 73, worthy of enshrinement in Cooperstown, N.Y. For Parker, whose eligibility to be inducted by the traditional...
New Pirates assistant pitching coach Brent Strom: ‘I just want to help this ball club’
Brent Strom openly admits retirement is a thought that’s surfaced and resurfaced repeatedly over the last several years. At age 76, that’s hardly unnatural. But Strom, officially named Thursday as assistant pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is finding more than enough motivation to begin a new chapter in a...
Pirates announce hiring of Brent Strom as assistant pitching coach
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the hiring of Brent Strom as assistant pitching coach Thursday morning. Strom, 76, will assist Oscar Marin, who will enter his sixth season with the Pirates in 2025. Most recently, Strom served as pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-24. “Brent has a proven track...
