Justin Masterson has signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving them potential starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level.
Jon Heyman has reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed veteran starter Justin Masterson to a minor- league deal.
Justin Masterson agrees to minors deal with pirates
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 14, 2016
Thought to be a target for the team over the offseason, Masterson finally makes his way to the Pirates after going unsigned.
With the Pirates battling nagging injuries and some level of ineffectiveness towards the bottom of their rotation, the Masterson signing can be seen strictly as a depth-option out of Triple-A. Masterson also has spent some time as a reliever.
His career numbers are below
| Year | Age | Tm | W | L | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 23 | BOS | 6 | 5 | .545 | 3.16 | 36 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 88.1 | 68 | 31 | 31 | 10 | 40 | 68 | 147 | 4.69 | 1.223 |
| 2009 | 24 | TOT | 4 | 10 | .286 | 4.52 | 42 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 129.1 | 128 | 73 | 65 | 12 | 60 | 119 | 99 | 4.04 | 1.454 |
| 2009 | 24 | BOS | 3 | 3 | .500 | 4.50 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 72.0 | 72 | 38 | 36 | 7 | 25 | 67 | 104 | 3.79 | 1.347 |
| 2009 | 24 | CLE | 1 | 7 | .125 | 4.55 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57.1 | 56 | 35 | 29 | 5 | 35 | 52 | 94 | 4.35 | 1.587 |
| 2010 | 25 | CLE | 6 | 13 | .316 | 4.70 | 34 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 180.0 | 197 | 107 | 94 | 14 | 73 | 140 | 84 | 3.93 | 1.500 |
| 2011 | 26 | CLE | 12 | 10 | .545 | 3.21 | 34 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 216.0 | 211 | 89 | 77 | 11 | 65 | 158 | 122 | 3.28 | 1.278 |
| 2012 | 27 | CLE | 11 | 15 | .423 | 4.93 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 206.1 | 212 | 122 | 113 | 18 | 88 | 159 | 79 | 4.16 | 1.454 |
| 2013 ★ | 28 | CLE | 14 | 10 | .583 | 3.45 | 32 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 193.0 | 156 | 75 | 74 | 13 | 76 | 195 | 110 | 3.35 | 1.202 |
| 2014 | 29 | TOT | 7 | 9 | .438 | 5.88 | 28 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 128.2 | 141 | 90 | 84 | 12 | 69 | 116 | 66 | 4.50 | 1.632 |
| 2014 | 29 | CLE | 4 | 6 | .400 | 5.51 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98.0 | 106 | 66 | 60 | 6 | 56 | 93 | 71 | 4.08 | 1.653 |
| 2014 | 29 | STL | 3 | 3 | .500 | 7.04 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30.2 | 35 | 24 | 24 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 52 | 5.84 | 1.565 |
| 2015 | 30 | BOS | 4 | 2 | .667 | 5.61 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 59.1 | 68 | 38 | 37 | 7 | 27 | 49 | 77 | 4.89 | 1.601 |
| 8 Yrs | 64 | 74 | .464 | 4.31 | 258 | 184 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 1201.0 | 1181 | 625 | 575 | 97 | 498 | 1004 | 93 | 3.94 | 1.398 | ||
| 162 Game Avg. | 10 | 11 | .464 | 4.31 | 40 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 185 | 182 | 96 | 88 | 15 | 77 | 154 | 93 | 3.94 | 1.398 | ||
In signing Masterson, general manager Neal Huntington also gains flexibility in allowing a shift for Juan Nicasio to re-join the bullpen if necessary. Nicasio struggled in his second start for the team, and the early-relief options have struggled somewhat out of the gate.
Pirates Breakdown will have more analysis on this signing in the coming days.
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