Pirates Sign Caleb Smith to Minor League Deal; Invite to Big League Camp

Jon Heyman of MLB Network has reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

Smith was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in 2013 in the 14th round out of Sam Houston and had a signing bonus of $100,000.

Smith is 31 years old and has been in the majors since 2017.

Previous to the Pirates signing, Smith has pitched for the New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks. As a fun little tidbit, Smith was a part of the Starling Marte trade that sent him, the former Pirate, to Miami.

For his career, Smith has pitched in 447 innings and has started in 64 out of 147 games. Since 2021, Smith has primarily pitched out of the bullpen.

In 2022, Smith had an ERA of 4.11, struck out 65, walked 39, and had a WHIP of 1.37 in 70 innings pitched.

Over his career, the southpaw posted a 4.55 ERA, a .220 opponent average, with a WHIP of 1.31.

Smith offers four pitches with a four-seam, changeup, curveball, and slider. Four-seam averages around 92 MPH.

Smith’s pitch mix is primarily his four-seam (45.6%), slider (28.9%), and changeup (22.2%).

Looking at the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff, they only have three left-handed pitchers on staff (Rich Hill, Jarlin Garcia, and Jose Hernandez), so Smith offers a need and should get a fair shake for the 2023 roster.

This move won’t move the needle on championship hopes, but it offers some depth and gives the younger guys some competition heading into spring.