Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates sign lefty Chasen Shreve, invite him to spring training

WPXI Atlanta Braves v New York Mets NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 20: Chasen Shreve #47 of the New York Mets walks off the mound after being removed in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on September 20, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — The Pirates are bringing another left-handed reliever to spring training to compete for a spot in the bullpen, signing Chasen Shreve to a minor-league deal Sunday.

Shreve, 30, pitched 25 innings over 17 appearances with the Mets last year, recording a 3.96 ERA and 34 strikeouts. He has a 3.74 career ERA over 235 games pitched between the Braves, Yankees, Cardinals and Mets.

He will make $1.5 million if he is added to the roster, per Jeff Passan.

Shreve’s fastball sits in the low-90s, but he makes up for it by getting good movement and about 2,400 RPM of spin. He also has a splitter that gives hitters plenty of trouble, holding batters to a .204 batting average with a 55.1% whiff rate against it. Of his 34 strikeouts, 28 came on his split-finger. He’ll also mix in a slider.

While Shreve gets a lot of whiffs and strikeouts, finishing in the top 10% league wide in both categories last year, he also gives up some hard contact. His 90.8 mph average exit velocity allowed was in the bottom 10% for pitchers last year, according to Baseball Savant.

Read this full article at our partners, DKPittsburghSports.com.

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