According to Robert Murray, the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a minor league deal with free agent right-handed pitcher Tyler Chatwood. The 33-year-old has ten seasons of big league experience. He spent the 2022 season playing in Japan.
Free-agent pitcher Tyler Chatwood in agreement on a minor-league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to a source familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 21, 2022
Chatwood only pitched six games in Japan in 2022. It was announced in June that he had shoulder surgery, with an estimated return time of 6-8 months. That should mean that he will be ready by the time Spring Training starts, assuming there are no setbacks.
He played for the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants during the 2021 season, while also seeing some minor league time. He had a 5.63 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in 32 innings over 32 relief appearances, while picking up 38 strikeouts. He was a starter during the shortened 2020 season, though two stints on the injured list limited him to five starts.
In his career, Chatwood has made 143 starts and 86 relief appearances. He has a 52-60, 4.45 record in 878.2 innings, with a 4.62 FIP, a 1.51 WHIP and 660 strikeouts — averaging 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings. More than half of his big league time came while he was a member of the Colorado Rockies. He has a 5.19 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP at Coors Field.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
Fleetwood’s numbers are Bryce Wilson like…so he is a lock to make the roster.
Typical Pirates off season….our prize signings are a 40 year old DH/1B and a .163 hitting catcher. Meanwhile Cubs get Taillon and Swanson. Hello another 100+ loss season…can’t wait to see how BC gets fleeced in a Reynolds trade…brace yourself to be dismayed by more incompetence.
Good to know they don’t limit themselves to dumpster diving only in MLB. I’m sure they’re scouring the lists of the KBO as well.
A name from the past…….Chatwood. He was one of my FA hopes a couple winters ago, but I don’t remember why. But now with shoulder surgery, Bucs are late to the party once again.
I saw on mlb trade rumors that Bligh Madris was dfa’d by the Tigers. Does anyone want him back.
no but would like to see Junior Fernandez for a few more innings
another wish and hope signing. Wishing he is healthy and hoping he does not make a fool of the front office.
If he thought his career hit rock bottom when he went to Japan, well he’s about to learn something.
This seems like as good a place as any to say this. IMO Tim’s post the other day on the 30 year fan was very needed, timely(seems it consumed too many threads), appreciated (at least by me) and thorough (not just a 2 sentence cheap shot).
However, now I think we retire that term because IMO:
I have had good debates or discussions with many ’30 year fans’ – yes.. there may be 1 or 2 who are just too scarred.. but that is ok.
I am confident I would have a blast at spring training or a game with a ’30 year fan’
Some of their concerns Tim highlighted (Nuttings interest in winning – ie. Totally risk averse, accountability) can be very applicable to discussions (Reynolds as an example – although NONE of us really know what made or broke that deal and there have been way too many assumptions made).
With the escalating salaries more of us may become a ’30 year fan’ as I think the degree of difficulty in succeeding in the Pittsburgh market (even if Nutting sold) just got harder.
Everybody may have some ’30 year fan’ days or overly optimistic days, very few are always one or the other.
Now you can vote me off the island if need be.
I may be a 30 year fan, but I’ll never give up..I have seen the light and I liked it. I was 14 yrs old when Maz hit that historical home run. So, I have,seen the light 3 times and there is nothing like it. The feeling you get when you play those seasons over in your head. Thinking about The great, Roberto, Willie, teak, .fearless Bruce keeton, Maz.. I’ve seen 3 Pittsburgh world series wins, six super bowls, and 5 Stanley Cups. I’m going to see another Pirates World Series win. Have faith 30 fans, we will see better days.
Canceled. 😉
I got his name confused with the eating champion “Joey Chestnut” and thought “My Gawd, what is Cherington planning to do with this guy, swallow the competition!”
I was thinking of Jimmy Chitwood from Hoosiers. He’ll make the shot.
Giants fans waking up to the news
btw eff the muts
Unrelated, but at least since we dont spend any money, we dont have to deal with heartbreak like giants fans right now
“Owner of a broken heart, is much better than an owner of a lonely heart”
My guess is they feel like the eventual runner up to Miss Universe when Steve Harvey crowned the wrong one. Anyone ever see Little Miss Sunshine?
One of my favorite movies!
Mine too. When the van’s horn won’t stop beeping as they drive and get pulled over it cracks me up every time. Kind of like your WTF GIF mullet dude. I sent that to my wife the other day for no reason. But she is used to my randomness. Those are two of thoughts that cheer me up when I see the Pirates signed some random has been.
Super Freak
how exciting
A journeyman coming off of shoulder surgery at age 33 having last played in Japan kind of exciting 🤯
i’ll take any kind of pirates news right now!
Maybe he learned how to make sushi while over there and can spin out some California rolls for the clubhouse. In Indy or Pittsburgh.
I’ll bet he does a mean tea service.
Been on a kick of studying Japanese culture. Watched a few videos on that. And the Yakuza. Read some books. About to order some matcha and practice my own tea ceremony.
Mr. Miyagi 2.
Not sure what movie or TV show it was but when the lead actor was asked if he wanted tea, he said it tastes like brown paper bags that water was poured through. My feelings exactly.
That would be tough to swallow. Like trying to drink anything cinnamon after drinking too much Firewater as a teen 25 years ago. Maybe I will have my own Sake ceremony.
Some tough guys pour tea in dainty cups. I wouldn’t say a thing, just sip the brew!
Don’t blame you. I never have left the East Coast let alone go to the Far East.
Rooting for the Pirates is like living in a one bedroom apartment and all of your friends own McMansions.
Don’t look now, Bob is having quite a party with Steve Cohen’s luxury tax payments
So much for the idea the luxury tax penalties will cause Owners of large market teams to reign in spending. Can’t wait to see if Steinbrenner will succumb to the pressure from Yankees fans to follow suit next winter and make a mockery of the luxury tax.
His tax is more than our payroll.
His staples budget is more than Nuttin’s payroll.
lots of strikeouts there at the end of his mlb time when he was in the pen. he was a little bit of a “get him out of coors” darling. an actual minor league deal on which i can actually see a hair of upside, lord have mercy!
agreed. This is an under-rated/appreciated signing
Lots of walks too! At least it was a Minor League signing. He either shows us something in ST, or he moves on his way. There is not much risk when it is a Minor League signing.
The 30 year fan can’t see past their nose. Every team does deals like these. The Mets themselves have signed 3 minor league deals this winter.
Yes this is totally comparable to the New York Mets.
My god. The smugness generated from such a moronic take…
I would say the smug position is the one that refuses to take these moves in context. Not every cheap move is because the pirates are cheap, even though they are. Some of them are necessary. The Mets used 61 players last season. Most of them cheap!!!
I spoke of the Mets because they were mentioned. Smug is in the eye of the beholder, but the poster who simply can’t or won’t accept that every team signs tons of cheap deals and craps all over every pirates move because it isn’t massive is not only smug but BORING.
That’s damn-near intentionally ignorant, my friend.
People don’t claim the Pirates are the only team that does this, people claim the Pirates ONLY do this. Speaking of context, *that* is the important part!
I promise you’d hear the whining about these signings die down if the club also acquired actual good players, as their competitors do.
“Where’s the money, Lebowski?”
l
Well at least someone actually acknowledged that the Pirates are just like everyone else making minor league signings to kick the tires on an aging vet. Usually most people posting accuse the Bucs of being the only team that does make these types of signings.
In their budget…
Is the team getting more BAM money next year?
Minor league deal and if he makes it then there is always 7/31 to limit monetary exposure…