According to Jon Heyman, the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith. He also receives an invite to Spring Training.
Caleb Smith agrees to minors deal with Pirates. Gets MLB camp invite. Lefty previously pitched for Yankees, Marlins and Dbacks.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 10, 2023
Smith has pitched parts of each of the last six seasons in the majors. He has over five years of service time, so a majority of those six years have been spent in the majors. He was with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022, where he had a 4.11 ERA, a 5.57 FIP, a 1.37 WHIP and a 65:39 SO/BB ratio in 70 innings over 44 appearances.
Smith saw time as a starter in 2021, posting a 4.83 ERA, a 5.10 FIP, a 1.37 WHIP and 124 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. He made 13 starts and 32 relief appearances. His best season according to WAR was the 2019 campaign, when he made 28 starts for the Miami Marlins. He went 10-11, 4.52 in 153.1 innings, with a 5.11 FIP, a 1.22 WHIP and 168 strikeouts, while leading the league with 33 homers allowed.
The 31-year-old has a career 20-30, 4.55 record in 447 innings, spread over 64 starts and 83 relief appearances. He has 478 strikeouts, a 1.31 WHIP and a 5.04 FIP.
The numbers say he throws a fastball almost half of the time that averages 92 MPH, while splitting the rest of his pitches somewhat evenly between sliders and changeups.
