The Pirates have made another move to add depth to their pitching staff, reaching an agreement with right handed relief pitcher Jandel Gustave on Monday. The transaction is pending on a physical.
The signing was first reported by MLB insider Robert Murray:
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement with free-agent reliever Jandel Gustave, pending physical, according to sources.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 17, 2020
Gustave comes to the Pirates after a deal between the club and former all-star pitcher Henderson Alvarez fell through. Alvarez announced on Sunday evening that his deal with the Pirates did not work out and that he was returning to pitch for the Milwaukee Milkmen, an independent league team.
Good night, I want you to know that the signing with the pirates did not materialize, I return to the independent league again, reasons why they signed another player, I'm still looking for a new opportunity and we're still here working hard @MKEMilkmen Good Return pic.twitter.com/0YxwklDXb8
— Henderson Alvarez (@HendersonA37) August 17, 2020
Gustave, 27, made his major league debut with the Astros in 2016. He appeared in 20 games in his two seasons with Houston, going 1-0 with a 3.98 ERA. After not pitching in the big leagues in 2018, Gustave had his most active season in the majors last year with the Giants, making 23 appearances, posting a 2.96 ERA, 1.110 WHIP and a 0.3 WAR in 24.1 innings of work.
The righty has three pitches: A fastball, slider and sinker. Gustave's fastball sits in the mid 90s and had a whiff rate of 22.3% last season, while batters hit just .167 against his slider. His sinker is his least used pitch, although it was seen significantly more in 2019 (22.9%) than it was in either season with the Astros.
To continue reading, log into your account:
