Camp Kicks Into Gear

Let the Grapefruit League commence…

Notes

• Mitch Keller and the Bucs agreed on a five-year/$77M extension with no options, running through 2028. He was named an NL All-Star for the first time in 2023 after slashing 13-9/4.21 and working a career-high 32 starts/194-1/3 IP while setting the franchise record for Ks in a season by a RHP with 210. Mitch’s deal is the largest contract for a pitcher in team history, and the $15.4M per year average value of the deal is also the highest for the franchise. Not too surprisingly, Shelty then announced that Keller will be the Opening Day pitcher on March 28th against the Marlins in Miami; he was last year’s Opening Day hurler, too.

Mitch Keller – 2024/MLB.com

• The Bucs dropped Saturday’s Grapefruit League Opener, 5-3, to the Twins. Kyle Nicholas gave up a three-run dinger to allow most of the damage. Henry Davis went 2-for-3 while looking a little rough behind the dish (which may have as much to do with the pitching as his glove) while Jake Lamb had two hits and Edward Olivares drove in a pair. They started Keller and the A Team on Sunday v the O’s, dropping a 2-0 decision.
• OF Canaan Smith-Njigba, lost to Seattle earlier this month when he was DFA’ed to clear room for Aroldis Chapman’s signing, rejoined the Bucs on Monday after the Mariners waived him. RHP JT Brubaker was moved to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot for CSN; Brubaker is recovering from TJ surgery and isn’t expected to be back until sometime around All Star break.
• BTW, the youngest player in camp this year is 19-year-old 2B Termarr Johnson.
• The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt and Ken Rosenthal caused a stir with their article (behind a paywall) describing some organizational issues with the Pirates, from coaching to penny-pinching. It caused a stir among the faithful but was quickly steamrolled by the Keller signing. Funny about that timing…
• If it’s not one thing, it’s another…the MLB players have a beef with the Nike new uni’s; not only are the numbers and name lettering smaller, but the pants are transparent enough for peek-a-boo shows. Please, camp battles, commence…
• SportsNet Pittsburgh added four morel Pirates spring training games: 2/26 at Toronto, 3/13 at Toronto, 3/15 at Yankees & 3/20 at Yankees. The network will pick up the feeds of Rogers SportsNet (Blue Jays) and the YES Network (Yankees). 
• Well, about time: part of Bradenton’s 27th Street running past Pirate City was renamed Roberto Clemente Memorial Way on Wednesday.
• LHP Austin Davis (10 outings as a Buc in 2021) signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres.
• RHP José De León died at the age of 63 due to cancer. He started his 13-year, five-team MLB journey in Pittsburgh, tossing here from 1983-86 (17-38-4/4.02).
• Local s/o to the Heinz History Center for being selected the #1 History Museum in the US; a big part of that is the Western PA Sports Museum. which fills two stories of the Heinz Museum building.