Pittsburgh Pirates: Free Agent Starting Pitchers Still Available

Injured But Looking To Rebound

The Cubs acquired Wade Miley last offseason to bolster their rotation, but it didn’t work out as planned. While he had a quality 3.16 ERA, 3.95 FIP, and 1.22 WHIP, he only racked up 37 frames. In 2021 when Miley was fully healthy with the Cincinnati Reds, Miley had a 3.37 ERA, 3.97 FIP, and 1.33 WHIP in 163 innings of work.

Despite pitching in the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, he had a solid .94 HR/9. Miley has always been a low-strikeout/low-walk pitcher and had an 18.1% strikeout rate but a 7.2% walk rate with the Reds. It also marked the third season in four years that he had an ERA+ of at least 115 (15% better than average).

The second and final pitcher we’ll look at today is Danny Duffy. The long-time Kansas City Royals southpaw last pitched in 2021. He was on pace for a career year as he had a 2.51 ERA, 3.40 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP through his first 61 innings of the year. His 0.88 HR/9 was the best he had since 2014 and was striking out batters at a career high 25.8% rate. Plus he had a decent 9.4% walk rate.

However, injuries plagued Duffy’s career season and he was limited to just 61 innings. The Dodgers, who had traded for the lefty at the 2021 deadline, re-signed Duffy to a one-year deal, but he never pitched a major league inning for the Dodgers. Duffy isn’t too old as 2023 will be his age-33 campaign. For a low-cost deal, there is some risk, but could end up paying dividends if he is healthy.