Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, right-handed pitcher Ben Heller has signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. Heller logged just 12 innings with an 11.25 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. However, at Triple-A, he held a 3.55 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP across 33 innings of work. In this stint, he struck out an impressive 55 batters. Heller was on the injured list with a shoulder injury towards the end of the season but has not shown any signs of being in danger of missing Spring Training. The 33-year-old could earn a spot on the major league roster but will likely open the 2025 season at the Triple-A level, given his lack of success in the big leagues.

Free-agent outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen re-signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday on a one-year deal worth $5 million, according to a source. Although McCutchen is clearly past his prime and is basically a full-time DH at this point in his career, the 38-year-old was highly coveted by the Pirates for his leadership skills in the clubhouse. In 448 at-bats over 120 games for Pittsburgh in 2024 in his 16th year in the big leagues, the five-time All-Star and former National League MVP hit .232/.328/.411 with a .739 OPS, 20 home runs, 50 RBI, three steals and 66 runs scored. McCutchen should once again be expected to serve as the team's full-time DH in 2025, and while he still has decent pop for his age, fantasy managers would be foolish to expect another season of 20 homers.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed left-handed pitcher Josh Walker to a one-year contract worth $760,000. In a corresponding move the Blue Jays released right-handed pitcher Hagen Danner. Walker has spent his entire professional career with the New York Mets after being selected in the 2017 MLB Draft out of New Haven. Across 22 1/3 major league innings of relief, the southpaw has held a 6.45 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He struck out 23 batters and allowed 12 free passes. In 37 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level last summer, he posted a 4.06 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. Fantasy managers should expect Walker to have a low-leverage role in the Toronto bullpen if he is able to earn a spot on the Opening Day Roster.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on MLB Network that catcher Joey Bart has taken the pole position at catcher heading into the 2025 season. Bart couldn't get going with the San Francisco Giants and was picked up on waivers by the Pirates early on in 2024. The low-cost move worked out for the Pirates, as Bart eventually became the team's starting catcher and finished with a .265/.337/.462 slash line with a career-high 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs scored in 282 plate appearances over 80 games played. The 28-year-old is in pole position for the starting job in 2025, but he'll need to continue playing well to hold off both Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and former first-rounder Henry Davis. The power and hard-hit skills are the draw with Bart, and it was a nice sign that he lowered his strikeout rate in 2024. However, he'll need regular playing time to be fantasy relevant.

The Atlanta Braves have signed outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract on Sunday. The Braves are in need of some outfield depth with star Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) expected to miss the first couple months of the season. De La Cruz spent time with both the Marlins and the Pirates last season but was let go after a rough stretch of play to end the season for Pittsburgh. While the 27-year-old set a career-high in home runs with 21, 18 of those came in 454 plate appearances with the Marlins (25 PA/HR). He hit just three in 168 PA with the Pirates (56 PA/HR) while hitting just .200. With a 9.3% barrel rate that was in line with his career rate, there's hope that the pop will be there for the Braves, but the right-handed hitter struck out at an above-average rate in 2024 (27.3%) while walking at a well below-average rate (4.7%), so that'll need to improve. Once Acuna returns, the 6-foot-4 outfielder likely becomes a platoon player with teammate Jarred Kelenic, as De La Cruz had success against left-handed pitchers last season (.285/.309/.425) while Kelenic was the opposite. The four-year pro is probably best left to the waiver wire in fantasy drafts unless he shows tremendous improvement in the spring.