AP source: Keller, Pirates agree to $77M, 5-year deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star pitcher Mitch Keller agreed to a five-year contract worth $77 million, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The deal is pending a physical, the person said on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet final.
The contract, the largest the Pirates have given a pitcher, begins this season and runs through 2028. It replaces a one-year agreement last month worth $5,442,500.
Keller would have been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
A 27-year-old righthander, Keller is coming off a breakthrough season in which he became a first-time All-Star. He finished 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA on a Pirates team that went 76-86.
The agreement figures to give Pittsburgh some longterm stability at the top of the rotation as they try to move closer to contention in the NL Central following a methodical top-to-bottom overhaul that began when the team hired general manager Ben Cherington in the fall of 2019.
Keller, a second-round pick in the 2014 amateur draft, endured significant growing pains after arriving in the majors in 2019. He went 7-17 with a 6.02 ERA during his first three seasons and was briefly demoted to the bullpen for a brief stretch in 2022.
The addition of a sweeper to his repertoire and an uptick in velocity has helped Keller become the frontline starter the Pirates have lacked since trading Joe Musgrove to San Diego following the 2020 season. Keller fanned a career-best 210 hitters last year, becoming the first Pirates pitcher to reach 200 since Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano in 2015.
■ METS: The New York Mets expect right-hander Kodai Senga to begin the season on the injured list after having to shut him down in spring training because of a shoulder strain.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Thursday that an MRI was done after Senga twice expressed having shoulder fatigue after throwing sessions in camp. Stearns described the strain in the back of his right shoulder as moderate.
“We’re going to shut him down until these symptoms subside and strength returns to his normal levels,” Stearns said. “Once that happens, we can begin to ramp him up and then go through his normal spring training progression.”
Stearns said it was unclear how long Senga will be sidelined, and when he might be able to make his season debut.
The 31-year-old Senga, going into the second season of a $75 million, five-year contract with the Mets after 11 seasons pitching in Japan, said he regrets that he won’t be ready for the start of the season. He said he just has to be positive and look forward to getting back with the team.
“Out of experience, not being at a 100 percent definitely puts a hamper on my performance,” Senga said through a translator. “If I was asked can I throw 96, 97, 98 mph? Yeah, I can throw 96, 97, 98. But the game isn’t about throwing fast. It’s about getting hitters out and I feel like at this point I am not going to be able to perform at the highest level, so giving it a bit of time is the right move.”
Senga went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts last year in his MLB rookie season. He finished second in the voting for National League rookie of the year, and seventh for the NL Cy Young Award.
■ MARLINS: Former AL batting champion Tim Anderson has agreed to a one-year contact with the Miami Marlins, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The deal for the shortstop is pending a physical, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet announced. The agreement is worth $5 million, according to ESPN.
Anderson is Miami’s first big free agent addition of the offseason. The two-time AllStar became a free agent in November after the Chicago White Sox declined a $14 million option, completing a $25 million, six-year contract.
The 30-year-old Anderson had spent all eight of his major league seasons with the White Sox. After leading the major leagues with a .335 average in 2019, Anderson hit .245 last year, the second-lowest of his big league career ahead of only a .240 average in 2018.
Anderson had just one home run and 25 RBIs over 123 games for Chicago. His RBIs matched his total in 2022, when he played in just 79 games because of injuries. He dealt with sprained left knee and right shoulder soreness this past season.
And Anderson brings a fiery temper to his new team.
In August, he and Cleveland’s José Ramírez threw punches that led to a benches-clearing brawl and suspensions. Anderson, who took a hit to the jaw in the fracas, had his penalty reduced from six to five games under a settlement with Major League Baseball.
In April 2019, he was suspended one game for a confrontation with Royals pitcher Brad Keller.