Moments ago we heard from Rob Biertempfel that the Pirates were close to a deal with Ronny Cedeno for around $2 M. Dejan Kovacevic has an update that the Pirates are also close to a deal with Jeff Karstens on a one year deal to avoid arbitration. Karstens was the only player who was believed to be on the bubble, at the risk of being non-tendered. No word on his contract details yet, although I’d be surprised if it’s much over $1 M. I estimated $750,000 on the 40-man roster/payroll page.
UPDATE: Dejan Kovacevic reports that Karstens has signed, and received $1.1 M. The 40-man roster/payroll page is updated with the figure.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
OT: Will the weekly chat return later in the season ?