The Pittsburgh Pirates open their pre-season schedule Saturday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles. Their first home game of their exhibition schedule will be Sunday in Bradenton.
The Pirates have agreed to a one-year free agent contract with left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Heaney. The 33-year old will be entering his 12th season in the major leagues. He was part of the Texas Rangers World Series team in 2023. Last year for the Rangers, he went 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA while starting 31 games.
Scott Sauerbeck, who pitched for parts of five seasons with the Pirates from 1999 to 2003 and shares the club’s record for games by a left-handed pitcher in one season, died Tuesday. He was 53. Sauerbeck, who was born in Cincinnati in 1971, made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 1999.