Morning Rundown: Pirates sign Mitch Keller to extension, Marlins sign Tim Anderson, Kodai Senga to start year on IL

The Pirates sign Mitch Keller to an extension, Marlins find their shortstop, Senga will miss time this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller to a five-year extension worth $77 million. Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel were first on it.

Keller made his first All-Star game last year after setting a career-high in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. He also posted a 3.70 xFIP and 3.3 WAR in 2023, a career-best for playing in a full season.

The deal will keep him a Pirate through the 2028 season, and it is the largest contract in franchise history for a pitcher.

Keller certainly the long road to this extension, as he went from a second-round pick out of high school to one of the best pitching prospects in the game. He struggled at first in the majors, and was even one of the worst pitchers in the game, statistically.

He revamped his game, adding a sinker and sweeper, which allowed his fastball to play much better in a smaller usage.

I’ll have more on the fastball later today.

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The Miami Marlins have signed free agent shortstop Tim Anderson to a one-year contract worth $5 million.

After emerging as one of the best shortstops in the game, Anderson’s production dipped last year, posting a career-worst wRC+ of 60 in 524 plate appearances.

Playing for Miami will allow him to rebuild his value, as the team was looking for a starting shortstop to join Luis Arraez in the middle infield.

Last year, he broke up a four-year streak of batting .300 or better for Anderson, and hit just one home run during the entire season.

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It looks like Mets pitcher Kodai Senga will not be ready for the start of the season. The right-hander is dealing with a Posterior Capsule Strain and will start the season on the Injured List, Anthony DiComo reports.

In his rookie season last year, Senga went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA (3.77 xFIP) with 202 strikeouts in 166.1 innings pitched.

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With Spring Training games right around the corner, here’s a quick reminder that you can get 20% off of a yearly subscription until the end of the month.

Not only does a subscription get you access to our top 25 prospect list that comes with full player write-ups, but it also gets you access to my video breakdowns throughout the season and as any of my live coverage of the minor league affiliates.

With the 20% off, your yearly subscription comes out to $3.33 per month.

Thank you so much for your support for those who have already subscribed. I am looking forward to a fantastic season ahead of us.

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Every Monday during the off-season and Spring Training we run our weekly mailbag article, where I answer all of your questions. If you want to participate, you can comment below with ‘mailbag’ written at the top or email me at bucsondeckqa@gmail.com.

Either way I will get to you, but email is easier to track and not get lost in the shuffle.

I look forward to answering your questions!