Pirates Sign Austin Brice to Minor League Deal

According to Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports, the Pirates have agreed to a minor-league deal with right-handed pitcher Austin Brice. The deal includes an invite to spring training and is pending a physical.

Brice has spent six seasons in the Major Leagues, the last two coming with the Boston Red Sox. For his career, Brice has gone 4-4 with a 5.17 ERA/.5.15 FIP in 162 innings of work. His best season came in 2019 with the Marlins when he posted a 3.43 ERA in a career-high 44.2 innings.

Brice gives the Pirates some bullpen depth and could work his way onto the Opening Day roster with a strong spring. He relies mainly on two pitches, a fastball that hovers around 93 mph and a slider that is considered his best pitch. He’ll also mix in a changeup here and there but doesn’t use it a lot.

The 30-year old was one of the pieces acquired by the Reds along with right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo in the trade that sent Dan Straily to Miami.