According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Pittsburgh Pirates are nearing a deal with left-handed relief pitcher Jarlin Garcia on a one-year deal with a club option. Jason Mackey is reporting that the deal is done, though it is still pending a physical.
The Pirates are close to a one-year deal with LHP Jarlín García, per source. The deal is expected to have a club option. García, who turns 30 next month, has a 2.89 ERA in 188 appearances since the start of 2019.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 6, 2022
Garcia, who will turn 30 years old next month, began his big league career with the Miami Marlins, where he put in three seasons with mixed results. He had a 4.29 ERA during that time, with a 1.22 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 170 innings. He moved on to the San Francisco Giants in 2020 and dominated during the shortened season, posting an 0.49 ERA and an 0.98 WHIP in 18.1 innings over 19 appearances. He was strong in 2021, putting up a 2.62 ERA in 68.2 innings over 58 appearances, with 68 strikeouts and an 0.96 WHIP. That ERA, while still decent, continued to trend up in 2022, as he had a 3.74 ERA in 65 innings over 58 games, with 56 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP.
The deal is for one year, with an option. He would have been guaranteed to reach free agency without that option added, as he has over five years of service time. If he can maintain the 2022 numbers, or even improve to 2020-21 standards, then it’s likely that they bring him back beyond 2023.
UPDATE 1:20 PM: The deal is for $2.5 million with a club option for $3.25 million in 2024.
Jarlín Garcia's contract with Pirates is for $2.5 million in 2023 with a $3.25 million option for 2024
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) December 6, 2022
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.
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I still like Manny who would have been actually cheaper!! But ok, willing to see what he’s got.
So we basically traded Yajure for Garcia
Good trade, then.
And Vince Velasquez too
Not an upgrade at all. He shouldn’t have been a candidate for anything but a MiL deal. Probably wasn’t for anybody but BC.
Hes a relief pitcher. In what demented self imposed prison are you in that you can’t see him as an upgrade over more than half our relievers in 2022……?
I despise down voting but what demented self imposed prison are you in that you feel the need to insult somebody just because you don’t agree with their opinion?
Speaking for myself, there is nothing with regards to sports talk or pretty much anything for that matter that rise to the level to insult someone personally over a freaking post on an online message board……
Hey @Y2JGQ2— Lighten up Francis!!!!
This is what’s maddening about this team, refusing to spend on a worthy MLB player but instead spending small amounts on players like this…is he better than Oviedo, Ortiz….save that money and actually spend it on someone who will be an upgrade…
Oviedo and Ortiz are starting pitchers, what are you talking about?
Try following the tread, it was a response to the Velasquez signing. And if you are following, then I’m sorry I reply.
How is he NOT an upgrade over our relief core in 2022…..have you seen our relief ERA?
have you seen our relief ERA?
This is hilarious.
Pirates’ relief ERA: 4.72
Velasquez’ ERA: 4.78
And most of the Pirates’ worst offenders from 2022 are already gone.
Even looking at the splits… 4.25 as a reliever. Better results across the board, but still “meh” at best.
Twenty more signings like this the Pirates can claim their payroll is over 100 million and when they lose 95 to 100 games yet again they can say spending more money doesn’t guarantee a winner 🤯
This is nothing new, the only hope the fan base has is if some or the majority of the draft picks make it and the Pirates may have a year but not more than 2 years of some success but never never going to win a championship.
As it stands right now Cruz’s life expectancy as a Pirate is 4 more years at most. So all the fans that are excited about him well enjoy while you can…
5 until free agency….but we already all knew that. What upsets other people, Pirates fans accept from day 1. We aren’t stuck in 1979
It’s just PR games. Hey, we signed some free agents!! We’re a real MLB team!! They. Don’t. Care.
Best thing I can figure is he’s got the same basic pitch mix of all the guys they’ve gone after including Ortiz, Nathan Web, etc. FB, Slider, Change a la Hunter Strider.
We could have as many as six pitchers from the DR on our active roster (Contreras, Ortiz, Yerry, Moreta, Garcia, and Ramirez) and will have another four on the position player side (Cruz, Castro, Santana, Andujar) with another couple on the horizon (Endy and Peguero).
I doubt this is intentional (other than signing Santana) but it seems that it can only help each player to have so many countrymen on the roster. I love seeing the team of Clemente having such a strong Latin American presence on the roster.
And, players from the Caribbean fit the Pirates spending issues. Many were raised in abject poverty and yearn for an opportunity to better themselves and their families. Therefore, prime candidates for extensions containing guaranteed salaries – worked well for the Pirates with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco (until an awkward slide cost him his career).
Buying out the first 2 years of FA is just betting on the capabilities of your own scouting and developmental systems. Prime candidate #1 would be Rodolfo Castro who can play every IF position, has VG footspeed, and is a switchhitter with pop. My # 2 would have been Malcom Nunez, Hits for average, power, and has excellent control of the zone. Those things are hard to teach and expensive to buy. Let’s hope BC did not blow it with Nunez.
Looks like a nice improvement. 😁
there’s the bullpen lefty they needed. His ’22 was a huge step backwards in terms of contact management – 6th percentile in barrel %. It would be curious to find out what they see in him that they can adjust.
More like ‘contract’ management? He’s cheap.
contact management is a psyop
Looks like an improved version of Banuelos. Big platoon splits, so a lot will depend on Shelton.
Welp, there’s that then.
Why you have to ruin it? He’s doom!!!!
The Doom of Dumbo.
Apparently his nickname is The Elephant. The market for relievers with long memories but terrified of mice is apparently loosening.
The new Market Inefficiency
Pretty happy with this tbh
My only reservation is that no team seems to do better with pitchers than the Giants, and their choice to non-tender him is a bit of a red flag. OTOH, because they’re so good at bringing the best out of pitchers, they don’t need to worry about finding a replacement and saved a couple million by letting him go.
But yes, looking at his stats he seems like a good addition.
Was just about to look him up, to see if he was a dfa or non-tender. That’s an Important detail left out of the tweet and article in order to get our head wrapped around this signing. Thanks.
I’m still waiting for Zaidi to proclaim pitchers should pay the Giants for fixing them. That’s what good baseball ops guys do, right?
Let’s hope he remembers all of the good stuff the Giants taught him!
That BAM money getting spent, best signing of the off season and possibly a 2 yr. deal.