Andrew McCutchen hit the 300th home run of his career and the Pittsburgh Pirates cruised past the Philadelphia Phillies 9-2 on Sunday, earning a split of the four-game series.
Pittsburgh Pirates Wiretap
David Bednar's first three seasons in Pittsburgh largely have been charmed ones as the hometown kid developed into a two-time All-Star closer for a team convinced it's on the rise.
And while the Pirates might be on their way to contention, Bednar is faltering. The right-hander blew his third save in four chances on Tuesday when Detroit rallied for a 5-3 win.
The most jarring moment wasn't the walk or the two batters he hit that fueled the Tigers' comeback, but the sound of Bednar being booed at home by a crowd that has emphatically embraced him from the moment he arrived from San Diego in the January 2021 trade that sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired Joey Bart in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.
San Francisco will receive right-hander Austin Strickland in the deal.
Bart, the second overall pick in 2018, has hit .219/.288/.335 over 503 plate appearances since making his Major League debut in 2020.
The New York Yankees acquired right-hander JT Brubaker and international bonus pool allotment from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday for a player to be named.
Brubaker, Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter in 2022, missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 12 with Dr. Keith Meister. Brubaker agreed in January to a one-year deal for $2,275,000 and was put on the 60-day injured list on Feb. 19.
Right-hander Chase Anderson agreed Sunday to a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, one day after he was released from a minor league deal by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Anderson, 36, was 1-6 with a 5.75 ERA last year in 17 starts and two relief appearances for Tampa Bay and Colorado.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are moving Roansy Contreras to the bullpen.
Derek Shelton left open the possibility of giving Contreras another rotation look down the line.
Contreras, 24, was the centerpiece of the 2021 trade that sent Jameson Taillon to the New York Yankees.
In 68 1/3 innings for the Pirates last season, Contreras had a 6.59 ERA and 55 strikeouts.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are bringing in veteran outfielder Michael Taylor on a one-year deal worth $4 million, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.
The deal is pending a physical.
Taylor, who turns 33 this month, joins a team that is looking for help in right field as the season approaches. He hit .220 with 21 home runs and 51 RBIs last season while playing in Minnesota.
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick last July, will begin the 2024 season in the Minor Leagues.
Skenes only logged 6 2/3 innings of professional work after last summer's draft. He struck out 10, but he also gave up four runs on four hits with two walks in his 2 2/3 innings in Double-A, which was the highest level he reached.
Mitch Keller has agreed to a five-year, $77 million contract extension with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to sources.
The new deal begins this season and runs through 2028. It buys out the first three years Keller would have been eligible for free agency, paying the pitcher $16.5 million, $18 million and $20 million in those seasons.
Keller, 27, had a breakout 2023 season in which he was an All-Star for the first time and struck out 210 in a career-high 194 1/3 innings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a one-year deal with Yasmani Grandal, according to a source.
Grandal, 35, has seen his performance both at the plate and behind it decline over the past two seasons.