Notes: Arb Deadline Decisions; Ferguson Signed; RIP Big Bob; Ex-Bucs Move On

Some stirrings during siesta season on the North Shore…

Pirates Stuff: 

• LHP Caleb Ferguson, 28, was signed by the Pirates on Friday to a one-year/$3M deal. He tossed for the NYY and Astros last year with a line of 1-4-1/4.64 & 11K per nine IP. Before then, the free agent spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, slashing 18-9-5/3.43.
• Free agent RHP Elvis Alvarado was added to the 40-man roster. The 25-year-old Alvarado spent most of the 2024 season with Miami’s AAA Jacksonville club, where his slash was 3-4-11/2.79 over 48-1/3 IP (41 outings) with 71 strikeouts. The Pirates will be his fifth organization since he turned pro in 2017 (Elvis was an OF’er then and converted to pitching) and he has yet to make his MLB debut. 
• Oneil Cruz ranks ninth on MLB Network’s Top 10 Center Fielders Right Now list. That’s not too shabby for a guy with all of 23 MLB games (and no farm time) at the position though 21 homers and 22 swiped sacks will get you noticed.

Is Nick Yorke ready for prime time? – 2024 Apex image

• Utility guy Nick Yorke, a late season addition from Boston, was named SI/Bleacher Report’s as the Pirates Most MLB Ready prospect.

Arb Signings:

• LHP Bailey Falter and the Pirates settled on a salary of $2.222M. His Bucco record is 10-11/4.86 in 35 starts (38 appearances).
• C Joey Bart agreed to a $1.75M deal. He claimed the top catcher’s spot last year, batting .265 w/13HR in 80 games.
• Closer David Bednar and the Bucs inked a $5.9M contract. Bednar is looking to bounce back from a shaky ’24 campaign (3-8-23/5.77).
• The Pirates signed RHP Colin Holderman to a $1.5M deal. He’s coming off a season (3-6/3.16) that started with the flu in camp and included two IL stints due to a wrist sprain; half the earned runs he gave up (9 of 18) and four of his losses came in a six-outing stretch from late-July-to-August that triggered his second IL trip; he was strong when he came back in September.
• The Pirates couldn’t reach agreement with righties Johan Oviedo and Dennis Santana. The two sides exchanged arb figures and can settle any time up to their TBD hearing. MLB Trade Rumors projected Santana to earn $1.8M and Oviedo $1.5M. Santana filed for $2.1M while the Pirates countered at $1.4M; Oviedo filed at $1.15M & the Pirates at $850K. 17 players total filed for arb hearings. The other arb-eligible ’24 Pirates were OF/DH Bryan De La Cruz, OF/1B Connor Joe and RHP Ben Heller, who were released after the past season.

Other Stuff:

• Big Bob Veale passed away the past weekend at age 87. He spent 11 years (1962-72) as a Bucco, both starting and then converting to a reliever. He was part of the ’71 champs, a two-time All-Star, had 200+ K’s four times (the Gunner called his heater the “radio ball” because you could hear it but couldn’t see it as it zipped by), 100+ walks four times, too, and posted a Bucco line of 116-91-21/3.06. Bob ranks second for the Pirates in strikeouts (1,652), is tied for ninth in shutouts (20) and is tied for 10th in wins (116). 

Bob Veale – 1965 Topps

• RHP Roansy Contreras was DFA’ed by the Reds and claimed by the Orioles.
• LHP Martin Pérez and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a one-year/$5M contract, pending his physical.
• The Japanese League’s Orix Buffaloes have signed OF Edward Olivares. The terms of the agreement haven’t been released yet.