The Pittsburgh Pirates finally have an Elephant in the room.
Left-handed reliever Jarlin Garcia, a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder nicknamed “The Elephant,” officially signed Wednesday a one-year contract for $2.5 million with a club option at $3.25 million for 2024.
“Signing Jarlín is part of our overall goal of adding left-handed pitching this offseason,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. “Jarlin has been a steady performer in the big leagues, and we believe he’ll complement our bullpen group nicely.”
Garcia, who turns 30 on Jan. 18, has a 17-15 record with a 3.61 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in six seasons, split between the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants. Miami signed Garcia, whose first name is pronounced HAHR-leen, as a nondrafted free agent in August 2010 and he spent seven seasons in the minors with the Marlins.
Since the start of the 2020 season, García has recorded the fifth-lowest ERA (2.84) among all qualified left-handed relievers. In three seasons with the Giants, Garcia was 9-8 with a 2.84 ERA, two saves and a .215 batting average against. The Giants did not tender Garcia a contract offer, making him a free agent.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Garcia, the Pirates designated right-hander Bryse Wilson for assignment.
Wilson, 25, was 4-13 with a 5.37 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 33 appearances, including 28 starts, after being acquired from the Atlanta Braves in a 2021 trade deadline deal for reliever Richard Rodriguez. Wilson was 3-9 with a 5.52 ERA and 1.42 WHIP and allowed 20 home runs in 115 2/3 innings over 25 games last season, including 20 starts.
