The giant has signed it JT Brubaker According to his transaction login on MLB.com, a minor league contract was signed. He will report to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cat. Yankees released the right-handed last week.
Brubaker, 31, has started 61 times for the Buccaneers since 2020-22, more than any other pitcher on the team. Interestingly, his numbers in that range are very similar to those of another pirate, Mitch Keller. Brubaker gave Pittsburgh 315 2/3 innings with 4.99 ERA, 4.04 Siera and 3.0 Fangraphs wars, while Keller threw 281 1/3 frames with 4.64 ERA, 4.67 Siera and 3.0 Fwar. Brubaker beat Keller to open the opening day that began in 2022, although Keller enjoyed him slightly in his first year of arbitration eligibility (less than $200,000).
Unfortunately for Brubaker, their paths differ significantly after that. Keller set up the All-Star team in 2023 and turned that strong performance into a five-year offseason-run, $77 million extension, but Brubaker lost his 2023 campaign. The Pirates traded him to the Yankees the following winter and he recovered from Tommy John, while he was under pressure from tilting that prevented him from coming down at the IL in 2024. He then broke three ribs last spring, forcing him to return to the injured list until June.
Finally, on June 21, Brubeck returned to the major leagues for the first time in nearly three years. He did a great job of limiting hits, so he ran a great run to 3.38 ERA, but he also gave up nine walks and hit only 10 strikeouts by hit. His 4.67 Xera and 5.32 Siera suggest that his low 4.00 era is too good to achieve. Apparently, that’s the same when the Yankees decide to free him and eat up the remaining money from their 2025 contract.
The Giants will now offer him an opportunity to a minor league system where they only need to pay him a minimum wage at any time he may spend on the major league roster. Although injuries have plagued him by the past three seasons, he was a productive situation before that. San Francisco can certainly use pitch depth, so it’s no surprise to see him return to profession before the 2025 season begins.
