According to Robert Murray, the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a minor league deal with 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Nate Webb. He was recently let go by the Kansas City Royals, despite pitching well in the Arizona Fall League.
Right-hander Nate Webb has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, source said. The deal includes an invite to spring training. Webb, non-tendered on Friday, pitched well in the AZ Fall League and has a fastball that sits 96-98 mph and touches 100.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 20, 2022
As noted in the tweet, Webb has a fastball that touches 100 MPH in relief. He struggled throughout the 2022 season at three different levels, while also missing the first two months of the season due to injury. He did well in 2021, splitting the season between two levels of A-Ball, combining for a 3.94 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP, with 89 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. His 2022 season saw mediocre rehab results in rookie ball, but he followed that with a 9.57 ERA in 26.1 innings in Double-A, and six runs over 2.1 innings in Triple-A. He had a 9.99 ERA, 2.34 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 33.1 innings over all three levels. Webb didn’t allow an earned run in six Arizona Fall League appearances.
This is a minor league deal, so there’s no real risk giving a spot to an arm with recent past success and a 100 MPH fastball.
