The Pirates will still see plenty of Trevor Williams this season after the right-handed starter signed with an NL Central rival on Saturday. According to reports, Williams, 28, has a one-year deal in place with the Cubs worth $2.5 million, pending a physical.
Williams went 2-8 with a 6.18 ERA in 11 starts (55 1/3 innings) in 2020, and the Pirates designated him for assignment on Nov. 20. General manager Ben Cherington said at the time that the move was designed to give Williams a head start on free agency.
The Pirates acquired Williams via trade with the Marlins on Oct. 24, 2015, and he has never pitched for another team. In five years with the Pirates, Williams was 31-37 in 94 starts (106 games) with a 4.43 ERA and 1.337 WHIP.
Williams has pitched in eight games (seven starts) at Wrigley Field, going 2-6 with a 7.09 ERA while allowing eight home runs and walking 18 in 33 innings.
It looked like Williams would be a member of the Pirates rotation for years to come during his breakout 2018 season, when he went 14-10 over 31 starts while pitching to a 3.11 ERA.
Williams was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the second half of that season, producing a 1.38 ERA (second-best in MLB) in 12 starts after the All-Star break.
But over the past two seasons, Williams experienced myriad issues and wound up with a 5.60 ERA and 42 home runs allowed, forcing the Pirates to either pay around $4 million via arbitration or DFA’ing him.
The Cubs have been in the market for cheap starting pitchers after trading Yu Darvish to the Padres this offseason, along with several other cost-cutting moves.
Pittsburgh will play the Cubs 19 times in 2021, including three series in each city starting with the season-opener at Wrigley Field on April 1. They play 12 times in the first half, including the Pirates’ first series at PNC Park (April 8, 10 and 11).
Evan Altman of Cubsinsider.com first reported the contract. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was first with the money side.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: January 30, 2021, 11:22 p.m.