Pirates' Mike Clevinger signing is even more unforgivable after new allegations

Editor's Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of domestic violence that may be triggering to some readers. If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, help is available. Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat at TheHotline.org

The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t just take a low-risk flier this spring. They made a choice. And after the latest reporting from Bradford William Davis at eyeblack, that choice looks even more indefensible.

When the Pirates signed Mike Clevinger to a minor league deal in February, they were already walking into complicated territory. Clevinger had been the subject of a lengthy MLB investigation under the league’s domestic violence policy — one that ultimately resulted in no suspension.

Teams (and fans) often lean on that outcome as justification. “He was cleared,” becomes the shield. But “cleared” has never meant “resolved.”

New reporting from Davis outlines a deeply troubling pattern of allegations from Olivia Finestead, including claims that harassment and threats continued after MLB closed its investigation in March 2023. According to those claims, the behavior didn’t stop — it evolved.

Anonymous messages. Repeated “No Caller ID” calls. Alleged threats involving her life and their child. A reported incident where she says she recorded a voice she identified as Clevinger telling her to kill herself just hours before he took the mound for a start in April 2023.

Clevinger’s representatives strongly deny wrongdoing and point to both MLB’s investigation and court-issued restraining orders as evidence supporting his position. That context matters. It should be acknowledged.

But the Pirates didn’t need certainty to make a better decision — they needed judgment.

Pirates’ low-risk move on Mike Clevinger now carries high-cost questions

This isn’t about legal guilt or innocence. It’s about organizational standards. It’s about understanding that even the possibility of ongoing harm, especially in a case with this much public documentation and conflicting accounts, should give a team pause. Instead, Pittsburgh gave him a contract.

The Pirates announced a minor-league deal with Clevinger in February, inviting the 35-year-old right-hander to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee. He almost cracked the Opening Day roster, too – but ultimately ended up at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he is now on the IL with a knee injury.

For a franchise that has worked hard to reshape its identity — from investing in young cornerstone players to leaning into a blue-collar, community-driven culture — this move cuts against all of it. You can’t preach culture and accountability on one hand, then quietly gamble on a situation like this on the other and expect it to go unnoticed.

And fans notice. They always do. Because this wasn’t a move made out of necessity. The Pirates aren’t a contender just one arm away from October. This wasn’t about upside you couldn’t find elsewhere. It was a voluntary risk — one that prioritized depth over principle. That’s what makes it so hard to justify now.

The Pirates had the opportunity to draw a line. To say that some situations, regardless of talent or availability, aren’t worth the baggage or the message it sends. They didn’t.

And after these new allegations, that decision doesn’t just look questionable. It looks unforgivable.

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