Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Outfielder to a Minor League Deal, Other Notes

Monday saw three minor league deals signed that impacted the Pittsburgh Pirates

Sep 30, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA;  Minnesota Twins center fielder Gilberto Celestino (67) hits
Sep 30, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Gilberto Celestino (67) hits | Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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On Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed an outfielder to a minor league deal while two members of the 2023 club signed minor league deals with a new club

With the MLB offseason starting to rev up, minor league free agent contracts are starting to be agreed upon between players and teams. This included a trio of minor league deals that were signed on Monday that involved the Pittsburgh Pirates, or players who were with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.

Pirates sign outfielder to a minor league deal

On Monday, the Pirates signed outfielder Gilberto Celestino to a minor league deal. This deal includes an invited to spring training. The 24-year-old right-handed hitting Celestino had spent the previous five seasons in the Minnesota Twins' organization.

Celestino's 2023 season was an injury riddled one. He was limited to just 233 plate appearances in 55 games played at the Triple-A level. Celestino hit for a .243/.392/.389 slash line with a 106 wRC+, 15.9% strikeout rate, and an 18.0% walk rate in these 233 PAs.

Celestino played in the majors in 2021 and 2022. In 409 career MLB PAs with the Twins he hit for a .222/.292/.300 slash line with a wRC+ of 73. He ahs 4 career home runs, an isolated slugging (ISO) of .064, a 9.2% walk rate, and a 22.2% strikeout rate.

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