The Pirates added yet another candidate for their bullpen Saturday when they announced the signing of left-hander Kevin Siegrist to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training.
Siegrist, 28, was one of the better lefty relievers in baseball during a four-year stretch with the Cardinals before back and forearm injuries rendered him ineffective last season. He had a 4.81 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and averaged a career-high 5.5 walks per nine innings in 39 appearances — his fewest since 2014 — in 2017.
The Pirates are in need of an additional left-handed reliever to join Felipe Rivero in the bullpen. Steven Brault, a starting pitcher, is a candidate for that role. However, he will be used as a starting pitcher this spring in the event of an injury or underperformance from Joe Musgrove.
If Brault does not make the rotation, Siegrist could have a difficult time sticking with the club, unless he accepts an assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates also have George Kontos, Michael Feliz, Kyle Crick, Edgar Santana, Dovydas Neverauskas, A.J. Schugel, Josh Smoker and Tyler Glasnow as candidates to join the bullpen.
But Siegrist has the potential to be one of the Pirates' best arms if he can rediscover what made him so effective for the Cardinals only two seasons ago. Siegrist went 17-9 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and averaged 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in his first four major league seasons after making his debut in 2013.
He made a career-high 81 appearances for the Cardinals in 2015, and he even pitched against the Pirates in the National League Division Series as a rookie in 2013.
Siegrist has averaged 10.48 strikeouts per nine innings in his career while holding opposing hitters to a .206 batting average against, including .194 against right-handed hitters and .229 against lefties.