Left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, ESPN confirmed late on Monday. The 35-year-old is the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball history since velocity tracking was introduced.

With a fastball averaging over 99 mph, Chapman played a crucial role in guiding the Texas Rangers to their first World Series Championship title this year. He struck out 103 in 58⅓ innings, walking 36, and allowed our home runs with a 3.09 ERA. After signing a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Kansas City Royals before the 2023 season, Chapman was dealt to the Texans in June for left-hander Cole Ragans.

Entering his 15th season in the MLB, Chapman holds a career strikeout rate of 14.8 per nine innings; the best of any pitcher who has thrown more than 500 innings. He has saved 321 games, making the All-Star team on seven occasions.

The post Aroldis Chapman Joins Pirates On $10.5 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pittsburgh Pirates delivered a historical comeback on Saturday night to get a 13-12 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Pirates found themselves down by nine runs through the first three innings before scoring 13 unanswered runs to get a memorable victory in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

The comeback against the Reds marked the largest deficit that the Pirates overcame in their franchise history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Pittsburgh team was 0-819 in games they trailed by nine runs or more.

The Pirates’ big win was fueled by a big night from first baseman Alfonso Rivas, who tied his career-high by scoring five runs. Second baseman Ji Hwan Bae added three runs while outfielder Bryan Reynolds delivered a 350 homer in the top of the sixth.

“It was just, we’re going to chip away,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton after the game. “We wanted to get into their bullpen and use as many arms as possible. We just kept chipping, kept having good at-bats.”

The win will make the Pittsburgh Pirates feel a bit better about their season, but they are already out of playoff contention with a 74-81 record.

The Cincinnati Reds, on the other hand, might end up regretting the loss more than usual. They fell to a 79-77 record and now trail 2.5 games for the last wild-card spot in the NL.

The post Pirates Overcome the Largest Deficit in Franchise History in 13-12 Win over Reds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have to play out their 2023 season without veteran designated hitter Andrew McCutchen. The five-time All-Star reportedly has a partial Achilles tear.

The Pirates have announced on Wednesday that McCutchen was placed on a 10-day Injured List retroactively from September 5th but didn’t provide more details. According to Pirates’ beat writer Justice Delos Santos, McCutchen will be required to be in a walking booth for at least six weeks.

Pittsburgh’s regular season ends in four weeks, and the team has virtually no chance to get to the postseason considering their 65-75 record to this point.

McCutchen suffered the injury during Monday’s 4-2 win against the Milwaukee Brewers. He limped to the dugout but initially said he was “fine.” However, further test revealed the Achilles tear.

The 36-year-old has been in fine form this season, hitting .256 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 112 games. McCutchen will become a free agent at the end of the season but has previously expressed interest in extending his stay with the franchise that gave him his MLB debut in 2009.

McCutchen spent the first nine years of his career in the majors with the Pirates, being selected an All-Star five times and earning NL MVP honors in 2013. He later played with the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Brewers before returning to Pittsburgh ahead of this season.

The post Pirates’ Veteran DH Andrew McCutchen Done For the Season with Achilles Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds seems to have had enough of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ losing ways. According to multiple reports, Reynolds recently told the team that he wants to be traded.

Since Reynolds made his MLB debut in 2019, the Pirates haven’t made the playoffs or got more than 69 wins. The team has been rebuilding for some time now, and everything points out that they are several more years of contending. With Reynolds playing his best baseball recently, it makes sense he doesn’t want to waste his talents just to finish last in NL Central every year.

After the reports about Reynolds’ request broke out, the team issued a statement confirming the news but also added that they didn’t have any intention to follow it through.

“While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this offseason or in the future,” the Pirates said in a statement issued on Saturday in a statement. “Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates.”

Reynolds had a career season in 2022, batting .262 with 27 home runs and 62 RBIs and earning an NL All-Star spot. Overall, he has hit .281 since debuting in the majors and has 74 homers and 239 RBIs. 

The post All-Star OF Bryan Reynolds Tells Pirates He Wants to Be Traded appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Former All-Star starting pitcher Chris Archer became a free agent on Saturday after his 2021 team option was not picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Archer, who joined the Pirates in a blockbuster trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in July 2018, was unable to find the success that he had in Florida with his new NL Central club in two and a half disappointing seasons.

The North Carolina native, who made the 2015 and 2017 AL All-Star teams during his tenure in Tampa, had a decent 4.30 ERA in 10 starts after joining the team in 2018 but fell backward in 2019.

Archer made 23 starts before missing the month of September due to a shoulder injury, posting a career-worst 5.19 ERA for the cellar-dwelling Pirates.

He then missed the entirety of the 2020 season after undergoing surgery to fix thoracic outlet syndrome.

Pittsburgh elected not to see if Archer could help them in 2021, however, turning down his $11 million club option and making the 32-year-old a free agent. He could appeal to plenty to teams looking for solid starting pitching as a relatively inexpensive bounce-back candidate.

The Pirates will pay a $250,000 buyout to Archer after denying his option, and both parties will go their separate ways.

The post Former All-Star Chris Archer Becomes Free Agent After Pirates Decline Club Option appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Phillip Evans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the biggest surprises of the 2020 MLB season, suffered a violent collision with teammate Gregory Polanco in his team’s Saturday night game while he attempted to catch a fly ball.

After being diagnosed with a concussion and a fractured jaw as a result of the blow, the team announced that Evans would hit the 45-day injured list, effectively ending his 2020 season.

Evans was playing first base on Saturday night in his team’s 11-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers when Miguel Cabrera lifted a fly ball down the right-field line. Evans and Polanco converged on the fly ball and unfortunately, Evans got the worst of the collision.

After losing consciousness briefly, he was taken off of the field on a stretcher in what was a scary sight for fans and teammates alike.

While Evans is expected to make a full recovery, he won’t be able to play again until the 2021 season.

This news is particularly disappointing for the Pirates, who will miss Evans’ bat in what has been a dreadful season for the rebuilding club. Despite his team’s 3-12 record, Evans’ .359 batting average was one of the few bright spots that Pirates fans have had to appreciate this season.

The club called up outfielder/first baseman Jose Osuna to replace Evans on the active roster.

The post Pirates IF Phillip Evans to Miss Rest of Season After Collision appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Blue Jays have found a new home for the 2020 season just in the nick of time, agreeing to share PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the upcoming MLB season.

The Jays, who were denied permission last week by the Canadian government to play their home games at their home stadium in Toronto, were forced to look for an alternative solution for this year as their home opener approaches on July 29th.

It turned out to be Pittsburgh where they found a temporary home.

As the Jays and Pirates only had six home games that coincided with the schedule and due to the close relationship between their front offices, PNC Park turned out to be the perfect solution.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington was formerly the vice-president of baseball operations for the Blue Jays, meaning that he did not hesitate to offer up his team’s home park to the AL East club.

The only small stumbling block which came up in the plan were two series in which both Toronto and Pittsburgh were set to play as home teams. According to sources, the Jays will simply play in their opponent’s home park as the “home” team in those two instances to solve the problem.

The Jays’ debut at the park will come next Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

The post Toronto Blue Jays to Play 2020 Home Games in Pittsburgh appeared first on SportzBonanza.

If and when MLB returns to the 2020 season, Pittsburgh Pirates will be one pitcher short. The team announced on Wednesday that their right-hander Chris Archer underwent a surgery that will sideline him until next year.

According to the Pirates, Archer had the surgery to relieve symptoms of “neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.” The 31-year-old pitcher first felt the discomfort back in March and the issue got worse over time.

“What made it most challenging for Chris, he didn’t feel the symptoms immediately after throwing,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters. “It was hours afterward. It was the next day.”

According to Tomczyk, Archer will miss six to eight months of rehabbing but should be fully ready for the 2021 season.

Pirates gave up several prospects in 2018 to acquire Chris Archer, hoping to boost their pitching core. Although Archer had a solid first year in Pittsburgh, things didn’t go well for him last season as he posted career-worst 5.19 ERA to go with 3-9 record. The veteran hoped to get back on track in 2020, but now he’ll have to wait an additional year to make a redemption attempt.

Archer previously spent six and a half years with Tampa Bay Rays, where he was a two-time All-Star. His career stats include 60–80 record, 3.86 ERA, and 1,349 strikeouts.

The post Pirates’ Right Hander Chris Archer Will Miss 2020 MLB Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have settled on a new manager after a process that began when former skipper Clint Hurdle was fired in September.

Derek Shelton, who was previously the bench coach of the Minnesota Twins, was announced as the team’s new manager on Wednesday.

He is best known for his ample experience as a hitting coach in the league, spending five seasons in that capacity with the Cleveland Indians and seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

New general manager Ben Cherington got to know Shelton in 2017, the year in which their paths overlapped with the Toronto Blue Jays. Shelton worked as a quality control coach there while Cherington was the vice president of baseball operations, impressing with his baseball knowledge.

Shelton will be tasked with helping lead Pittsburgh back to relevance. The Pirates have finished with a losing record in three of the past four seasons. They hit rock-bottom in 2019, turning in a miserable season that ended with a second-half collapse and a 69-93 record.

Shelton’s hiring means that all eight of the league’s previously-unfilled managerial positions are now occupied.

Pirates fans must now cross their fingers and hope that Shelton will help lead their team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The post Pirates Name Derek Shelton New Manager appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For the first time since 2010, the Pirates will be looking for a new manager to lead the team. After finishing 69-93, their worst record since going 57-105 in 2010, the front office decided it is time for a new leader in Pittsburgh.

Although Hurdle is leaving before his contract is up, there is no denying that he did an incredible job in his 9 seasons in Pittsburgh. He led the Pirates to the playoffs 3 years in a row (2013-15), ending a 20 year playoff drought. Hurdle finishes with a 735-720 record, good for 4th most wins all-time in an organization well over 100 years old.

Despite the 3 years of success, the Pirates have only had one winning season since 2015, and the problems in the clubhouse have added up over the years. Players requesting trades, clubhouse fights, and closer Felipe Vasquez getting arrested, all combined with low attendance and the 2nd half collapse, will lead to many changes this offseason.

The post Pirates Dismiss Manager Clint Hurdle After 9 Seasons appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, ESPN confirmed late on Monday. The 35-year-old is the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball history since velocity tracking was introduced.

With a fastball averaging over 99 mph, Chapman played a crucial role in guiding the Texas Rangers to their first World Series Championship title this year. He struck out 103 in 58⅓ innings, walking 36, and allowed our home runs with a 3.09 ERA. After signing a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Kansas City Royals before the 2023 season, Chapman was dealt to the Texans in June for left-hander Cole Ragans.

Entering his 15th season in the MLB, Chapman holds a career strikeout rate of 14.8 per nine innings; the best of any pitcher who has thrown more than 500 innings. He has saved 321 games, making the All-Star team on seven occasions.

The post Aroldis Chapman Joins Pirates On $10.5 Million Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pittsburgh Pirates delivered a historical comeback on Saturday night to get a 13-12 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Pirates found themselves down by nine runs through the first three innings before scoring 13 unanswered runs to get a memorable victory in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

The comeback against the Reds marked the largest deficit that the Pirates overcame in their franchise history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Pittsburgh team was 0-819 in games they trailed by nine runs or more.

The Pirates’ big win was fueled by a big night from first baseman Alfonso Rivas, who tied his career-high by scoring five runs. Second baseman Ji Hwan Bae added three runs while outfielder Bryan Reynolds delivered a 350 homer in the top of the sixth.

“It was just, we’re going to chip away,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton after the game. “We wanted to get into their bullpen and use as many arms as possible. We just kept chipping, kept having good at-bats.”

The win will make the Pittsburgh Pirates feel a bit better about their season, but they are already out of playoff contention with a 74-81 record.

The Cincinnati Reds, on the other hand, might end up regretting the loss more than usual. They fell to a 79-77 record and now trail 2.5 games for the last wild-card spot in the NL.

The post Pirates Overcome the Largest Deficit in Franchise History in 13-12 Win over Reds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have to play out their 2023 season without veteran designated hitter Andrew McCutchen. The five-time All-Star reportedly has a partial Achilles tear.

The Pirates have announced on Wednesday that McCutchen was placed on a 10-day Injured List retroactively from September 5th but didn’t provide more details. According to Pirates’ beat writer Justice Delos Santos, McCutchen will be required to be in a walking booth for at least six weeks.

Pittsburgh’s regular season ends in four weeks, and the team has virtually no chance to get to the postseason considering their 65-75 record to this point.

McCutchen suffered the injury during Monday’s 4-2 win against the Milwaukee Brewers. He limped to the dugout but initially said he was “fine.” However, further test revealed the Achilles tear.

The 36-year-old has been in fine form this season, hitting .256 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 112 games. McCutchen will become a free agent at the end of the season but has previously expressed interest in extending his stay with the franchise that gave him his MLB debut in 2009.

McCutchen spent the first nine years of his career in the majors with the Pirates, being selected an All-Star five times and earning NL MVP honors in 2013. He later played with the San Francisco Giants, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Brewers before returning to Pittsburgh ahead of this season.

The post Pirates’ Veteran DH Andrew McCutchen Done For the Season with Achilles Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds seems to have had enough of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ losing ways. According to multiple reports, Reynolds recently told the team that he wants to be traded.

Since Reynolds made his MLB debut in 2019, the Pirates haven’t made the playoffs or got more than 69 wins. The team has been rebuilding for some time now, and everything points out that they are several more years of contending. With Reynolds playing his best baseball recently, it makes sense he doesn’t want to waste his talents just to finish last in NL Central every year.

After the reports about Reynolds’ request broke out, the team issued a statement confirming the news but also added that they didn’t have any intention to follow it through.

“While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this offseason or in the future,” the Pirates said in a statement issued on Saturday in a statement. “Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates.”

Reynolds had a career season in 2022, batting .262 with 27 home runs and 62 RBIs and earning an NL All-Star spot. Overall, he has hit .281 since debuting in the majors and has 74 homers and 239 RBIs. 

The post All-Star OF Bryan Reynolds Tells Pirates He Wants to Be Traded appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Former All-Star starting pitcher Chris Archer became a free agent on Saturday after his 2021 team option was not picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Archer, who joined the Pirates in a blockbuster trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in July 2018, was unable to find the success that he had in Florida with his new NL Central club in two and a half disappointing seasons.

The North Carolina native, who made the 2015 and 2017 AL All-Star teams during his tenure in Tampa, had a decent 4.30 ERA in 10 starts after joining the team in 2018 but fell backward in 2019.

Archer made 23 starts before missing the month of September due to a shoulder injury, posting a career-worst 5.19 ERA for the cellar-dwelling Pirates.

He then missed the entirety of the 2020 season after undergoing surgery to fix thoracic outlet syndrome.

Pittsburgh elected not to see if Archer could help them in 2021, however, turning down his $11 million club option and making the 32-year-old a free agent. He could appeal to plenty to teams looking for solid starting pitching as a relatively inexpensive bounce-back candidate.

The Pirates will pay a $250,000 buyout to Archer after denying his option, and both parties will go their separate ways.

The post Former All-Star Chris Archer Becomes Free Agent After Pirates Decline Club Option appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Phillip Evans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the biggest surprises of the 2020 MLB season, suffered a violent collision with teammate Gregory Polanco in his team’s Saturday night game while he attempted to catch a fly ball.

After being diagnosed with a concussion and a fractured jaw as a result of the blow, the team announced that Evans would hit the 45-day injured list, effectively ending his 2020 season.

Evans was playing first base on Saturday night in his team’s 11-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers when Miguel Cabrera lifted a fly ball down the right-field line. Evans and Polanco converged on the fly ball and unfortunately, Evans got the worst of the collision.

After losing consciousness briefly, he was taken off of the field on a stretcher in what was a scary sight for fans and teammates alike.

While Evans is expected to make a full recovery, he won’t be able to play again until the 2021 season.

This news is particularly disappointing for the Pirates, who will miss Evans’ bat in what has been a dreadful season for the rebuilding club. Despite his team’s 3-12 record, Evans’ .359 batting average was one of the few bright spots that Pirates fans have had to appreciate this season.

The club called up outfielder/first baseman Jose Osuna to replace Evans on the active roster.

The post Pirates IF Phillip Evans to Miss Rest of Season After Collision appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Blue Jays have found a new home for the 2020 season just in the nick of time, agreeing to share PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the upcoming MLB season.

The Jays, who were denied permission last week by the Canadian government to play their home games at their home stadium in Toronto, were forced to look for an alternative solution for this year as their home opener approaches on July 29th.

It turned out to be Pittsburgh where they found a temporary home.

As the Jays and Pirates only had six home games that coincided with the schedule and due to the close relationship between their front offices, PNC Park turned out to be the perfect solution.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington was formerly the vice-president of baseball operations for the Blue Jays, meaning that he did not hesitate to offer up his team’s home park to the AL East club.

The only small stumbling block which came up in the plan were two series in which both Toronto and Pittsburgh were set to play as home teams. According to sources, the Jays will simply play in their opponent’s home park as the “home” team in those two instances to solve the problem.

The Jays’ debut at the park will come next Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

The post Toronto Blue Jays to Play 2020 Home Games in Pittsburgh appeared first on SportzBonanza.

If and when MLB returns to the 2020 season, Pittsburgh Pirates will be one pitcher short. The team announced on Wednesday that their right-hander Chris Archer underwent a surgery that will sideline him until next year.

According to the Pirates, Archer had the surgery to relieve symptoms of “neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.” The 31-year-old pitcher first felt the discomfort back in March and the issue got worse over time.

“What made it most challenging for Chris, he didn’t feel the symptoms immediately after throwing,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters. “It was hours afterward. It was the next day.”

According to Tomczyk, Archer will miss six to eight months of rehabbing but should be fully ready for the 2021 season.

Pirates gave up several prospects in 2018 to acquire Chris Archer, hoping to boost their pitching core. Although Archer had a solid first year in Pittsburgh, things didn’t go well for him last season as he posted career-worst 5.19 ERA to go with 3-9 record. The veteran hoped to get back on track in 2020, but now he’ll have to wait an additional year to make a redemption attempt.

Archer previously spent six and a half years with Tampa Bay Rays, where he was a two-time All-Star. His career stats include 60–80 record, 3.86 ERA, and 1,349 strikeouts.

The post Pirates’ Right Hander Chris Archer Will Miss 2020 MLB Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have settled on a new manager after a process that began when former skipper Clint Hurdle was fired in September.

Derek Shelton, who was previously the bench coach of the Minnesota Twins, was announced as the team’s new manager on Wednesday.

He is best known for his ample experience as a hitting coach in the league, spending five seasons in that capacity with the Cleveland Indians and seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

New general manager Ben Cherington got to know Shelton in 2017, the year in which their paths overlapped with the Toronto Blue Jays. Shelton worked as a quality control coach there while Cherington was the vice president of baseball operations, impressing with his baseball knowledge.

Shelton will be tasked with helping lead Pittsburgh back to relevance. The Pirates have finished with a losing record in three of the past four seasons. They hit rock-bottom in 2019, turning in a miserable season that ended with a second-half collapse and a 69-93 record.

Shelton’s hiring means that all eight of the league’s previously-unfilled managerial positions are now occupied.

Pirates fans must now cross their fingers and hope that Shelton will help lead their team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The post Pirates Name Derek Shelton New Manager appeared first on SportzBonanza.

For the first time since 2010, the Pirates will be looking for a new manager to lead the team. After finishing 69-93, their worst record since going 57-105 in 2010, the front office decided it is time for a new leader in Pittsburgh.

Although Hurdle is leaving before his contract is up, there is no denying that he did an incredible job in his 9 seasons in Pittsburgh. He led the Pirates to the playoffs 3 years in a row (2013-15), ending a 20 year playoff drought. Hurdle finishes with a 735-720 record, good for 4th most wins all-time in an organization well over 100 years old.

Despite the 3 years of success, the Pirates have only had one winning season since 2015, and the problems in the clubhouse have added up over the years. Players requesting trades, clubhouse fights, and closer Felipe Vasquez getting arrested, all combined with low attendance and the 2nd half collapse, will lead to many changes this offseason.

The post Pirates Dismiss Manager Clint Hurdle After 9 Seasons appeared first on SportzBonanza.