Pirates' Robert Stephenson: Avoids arbitration

Stephenson signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Pirates on Friday to avoid arbitration, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

It was a tale of two seasons for Stephenson in 2022. After posting a 6.04 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with the Rockies, he was pushed off their roster and was claimed by the Pirates in late August. Upon joining Pittsburgh, Stephenson put up a 3.38 ERA and 0.82 WHIP to close out the season. If the 29-year-old righty can carry that success with Pittsburgh over into 2023, there's a good chance he establishes himself as the team's primary setup man.