Pittsburgh Pirates Reportedly Sign Former Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Josh Fleming
The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to sign left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming to a one-year deal, FanSided's Robert Murray reported Wednesday morning.
According to Murray, Fleming is joining the Pirates on a major-league split deal. He will reportedly be due $850K if he makes Pittsburgh's MLB roster.
The 27-year-old southpaw spent the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Fleming was a fifth round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. He made his big league debut in 2020, going 5-0 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.082 WHIP across five starts and two relief appearances.
In 2021, Fleming appeared in 26 major league games, with 11 of those outings being starts. He went 10-8, but his ERA and WHIP ballooned to 5.09 and 1.351, respectively.
Fleming's production continued to dwindle in 2022, when he went 2-5 with a 6.43 ERA and 1.886 WHIP. He made a comeback of sorts in 2023, going 2-0 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.452 WHIP, despite striking out a career-low 4.4 batters and walking a career-high 3.3 batters per nine innings.
The Rays bumped Fleming off their 40-man roster in November, at which point the Philadelphia Phillies scooped him up off waivers. The Phillies non-tendered Fleming a few days later, however, making him a free agent.
In his major league career, Fleming is 19-13 with a 4.88 ERA, 1.419 WHIP, 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings, a 2.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio and -1.2 WAR. In the minors, Fleming is 33-16 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.216 WHIP, 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Per Murray, the Pirates view Fleming as a long-relief option who can also make the occasional start.
Pittsburgh bolstered its rotation by signing Martín Pérez and trading for Marco Gonzales in the fall, rounding things out around ace Mitch Keller. Up-and-comer Johan Oviedo had Tommy John surgery late in 2023, however, robbing the Pirates of one of their most promising young starters.
Between All-Star closer David Bednar and major free agent addition Arodlis Chapman, Pittsburgh should have the late innings taken care of. Fleming will be one of a handful of pitchers competing for a middle relief role in Spring Training, which got underway Wednesday.
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