Morning Rundown: Pirates sign Caleb Ferguson, come to terms with four of six arbitration eligible players
Pirates make a free agent signing, come to terms with four arbitration eligbile players
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson to a one-year deal worth $3 million.
Ferguson, 28, posted a 4.64 ERA (3.55 xFIP) with 67 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched while playing for the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in 2024. He did pitch much better after joining the Astros, with about a run and a half difference in ERA (5.13 with NYY and 3.86 with Houston).
He spent the first five years in the pros with the Dodgers and has a career 3.68 ERA (3.65 xFIP) and a fWAR of 1.3 during the 2023 season.
The fastball was hit hard last year, earning a -7 Run Value on Statcast, with hitters slugging .588 against it. However, it has performed better in other seasons, and having Oscar Marin and Brent Strom at his disposal may help him return to that.
His cutter was his best pitch, as opponents hit .130 against it and had a +4 Run Value.
In addition to the signing, it was reported that the Pirates intend to stretch Ferguson out and may give him a starter workload in Spring Training. He did make seven starts in 2023, so it isn’t something completely new for Ferguson.
The Pirates came to an agreement with four of their six arbitration-eligible players on Thursday. They failed to strike a deal with Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana. Here are the four players they signed, the salary amount, and the expected arbitration amount from MLBTR:
Bailey Falter - $2.22 million ($2.8 million)
Joey Bart - $1.75 million ($1.8 million)
David Bednar - $5.9 million ($6.6 million)
Colin Holderman - $1.5 million ($1.4 million)
All but Holderman received below the expected total. After a disastrous season, Bednar is locked in a little under $6 million.
The Pirates also exchanged arbitration numbers with Oviedo and Santana.
Oviedo filed at $1.15 million, with the Pirates coming in at $850,000. MLBTR projected him at $1.5 million.
After a breakout year for Santana, he filed at $2.1 million, while the Pirates did so at $1.4 million. MLBTR projected him at $1.8 million.
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Give Oviedo his money.
I'll admit I lean towards Aroldis because he's a DUDE but this guy probably stands better than half chance of being just as good.