Pirates Sign Former Yankees LHP
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates made a recent signing, that addresses a position of need in their bullpen.
Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that the Pirates signed left-handed pitcher Tim Mayza to a major league deal, pending a physical. Stumpf also reported that the deal is $1.5 million.
Source: deal is for one year, $1.15 million https://t.co/j3Lyqfr9q5
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) January 28, 2025
Mayza hails from eastern Pennsylvania, playing baseball, as well as soccer and basketball for Upper Perkiomen High School in Red Hill. He would play baseball in college for Millersville, a Division II program, finishing with an 11-3 record, 1.55 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 98.2 innings pitched as a junior in 2013.
The Toronto Blue Jays took Mayza in the 12th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft, taking a $100,000 signing bonus.
He spent more than four seasons in the Blue Jays' minor league system, before they called him up on Aug. 14, 2017. He made 19 appearances out of the bullpen that season, finishing with 6.88 ERA in 17 innings, with 27 strikeouts to four walks.
Mayza split the 2018 season between the Blue Jays and the Buffalo Bison at Triple-A. He made 37 appearances out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays, ending with a 2-0 record, a 3.28 ERA in 35.2 innings pitched, 40 strikeouts to 14 walks and a .244 opposing batting average.
He saw his ERA rise to 4.91 in 51.1 innings pitched and 68 appearances in the 2019 season, finishing with a 1-3 record, 55 strikeouts to 27 walks and a .230 opposing batting average.
Mayza would tear his UCL in September of the season, which required Tommy John surgery and forced him out for the entirety of 2020.
He returned in 2021, pitching 61 games out of the bullpen, finishing with a 5-2 record, a 3.40 ERA over 53.0 innings of work, 57 strikeouts to 12 walks and a career-low .206 opposing batting average.
Mayza had another solid season in 2022, with 63 appearances, a career-high eights wins with just one loss, a 3.14 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched, 44 strikeouts to 12 walks and a .237 opposing batting average.
He had his best campaign for the Blue Jays in 2023, pitching a career-high 69 games out of the bullpen, a 3-1 record, a career-low 1.52 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched, 53 strikeouts to 15 walks and a .251 opposing batting average.
Mayza struggled immensely throughout the 2024 season for Toronto, with an 8.03 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched over 35 appearances out of the bullpen.
The Blue Jays designated him for assignment on June 29 and then released him on July 5. The New York Yankees signed Mayza to a minor league contract on July 10.
Mayza pitched with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Triple-A for nine games, posting a 2.16 ERA over eight appearances.
The Yankees called Mayza up Aug. 16 and he pitched 15 times out of the bullpen, finishing with a 4.00 ERA over 18.0 innings of work. He also pitched in three games in the postseason, which included closing out an 11-4 victory in Game 4 of the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They chose to non-tender Mayza on Nov. 22, makng him a free agent.
Mayza offers the Pirates a needed left-handed arm in the bullpen, as they have just two left-handed pitchers currently in Joey Wentz and recent free agent signing, Caleb Ferguson.
The Pirates have also added recent talent, including right-handed pitchers in Brett De Geus in a trade with the Blue Jays, and free agent Carson Fulmer.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.