The Pirates yesterday officially signed relief pitcher Tim Mayza, making room for him on the 40-man roster by designating infielder Alika Williams for assignment.
The lefty Mayza pitched last season for the Blue Jays and Yankees, compiling an 0-2 record with a 6.33 ERA in 50 appearances. In 2023, he was 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA in 69 games with Toronto and he has a lifetime ERA of 3.88 with 20 wins, 9 losses, and four saves.
The Pirates won their second and final arbitration standoff yesterday an arbitrator settled on the Bucs’ offer of $1.4 million for relief pitcher Dennis Santana. He had asked for $2.1 million after making an even million dollars last year. Santana was 3-1 overall with a 3.89 ERA and three saves combined for the Yankees and Pirates. For Pittsburgh, he was 1-1 with a 2.44 ERA in 39 appearances.
The Pirates had previously won their arbitrations case with starter Johan Oviedo.
MLB
The best umpire in Major League Baseball was fired yesterday. Pay Hoberg was terminated after an investigation revealed he had shared his legal gambling account with a friend who used that access to bet on baseball games. Hoberg was caught intentionally deleting messages that were pertinent to the investigation.
Consistently graded as the top umpire for ball-and-strike accuracy, Hoberg took responsibility for this actions but emphasized that he had never and would never bet on baseball and “would never provide, information to anyone for the purpose of betting on baseball.” The recommendation for termination was filed last year and Commissioner Rob Manfred upheld the firing on appeal
