Pirates News: Johan Oviedo arbitration, Bryan Reynolds, Paul Skenes on Seth Meyers

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won the first of two arbitration cases this offseason, settling with right-hander Johan Oviedo for $850,000. After earning $765,000 last season – which he missed while recovering from Tommy John surgery – Oviedo filed at $1.15 million for this season.

Oviedo has a chance to work his way back into a stacked starting rotation in Pittsburgh, though he will most likely begin the 2025 season in the bullpen to limit his innings post-recovery. He started 32 games for the Pirates in 2023, throwing 177 2/3 innings and recording a 4.31 ERA.

An arbitration ruling still looms for relief pitcher Dennis Santana, who had his hearing with the Pirates Wednesday. The right-hander filed at $2.1 million, while the Pirates countered with $1.4 million. Santana made $740,000 in 2024 after signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees before the Pirates picked him up off waivers.

Pirates' Bryan Reynolds ranked top-10 left fielder by MLB Network

One of the lone bright spots in an otherwise underwhelming Pirates lineup, Bryan Reynolds earned some recognition this week when MLB Network ranked him the 10th-best left fielder in baseball heading into the 2025 season.

It's the fifth time in the past six seasons that MLB Network has ranked Reynolds among the top 10 at his position. He came in at No. 10 this year after ranking at No. 4 in 2024.

Reynolds currently owns the largest contract in Pirates history – an eight-year, $106.75 million deal he signed in 2023. Given the consistency he provides in the outfield and at the plate, Pittsburgh is getting him at a relative bargain.

Reynolds is one of just 15 MLB players to hit a least 20 home runs and have an OPS+ of 110 in four consecutive seasons. The switch-hitting outfielder slashed .275/.344/.447 with 24 home runs and 88 RBI last season en route to his second career MLB All-Star appearance.

Pirates' Paul Skenes drops by 'Late Night with Seth Meyers'

Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes made an appearance on Tuesday night’s edition of “Late Night with Seth Meyers" to talk about his historic rookie season, baseball cards, video games and more.

Skenes, who went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA for the Pirates in 2024, shared that the highlight of his debut campaign was not winning NL Rookie of the Year, but rather being a finalist for the Cy Young Award. He also shared that he was thrilled to learn that an 11-year-old card collector in California, Skenes' home state, had pulled his coveted Topps 1-of-1 Debut Patch rookie card. Skenes called it the best possible outcome, getting laughs from the audience when he said the worst possible outcome would have been "a 50-year-old collector."

Aside from middle-aged card collectors catching strays, the rest of Skenes' appearance on "Late Night" was pleasant and light-hearted. He cleared the air on his viral, stone-faced reaction to winning Rookie of the Year, recounted his failed attempt at gymnastics, and even discussed his modeling debut as one of the three cover boys for the video game MLB The Show 25 – which he won't be playing, as he is "not a video game guy."

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