The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement with Cuban-born right-handed pitcher Enmanuel Chapman in international free agency, securing his services for $200,000, according to Francys Romero. The deal is pending a physical examination.

Chapman, 25, features an impressive fastball that ranges between 93-98 MPH. He departed Cuba in April 2023 and arrived in the Dominican Republic, where he held a showcase for MLB teams in late August. Over the course of three seasons in the Cuban National Series, he recorded a 9.82 ERA across 51 innings. It is worth mentioning that the league’s conditions often heavily favor hitters.

Additionally, the Pirates are set to sign 17-year-old shortstop Jayden Kim and right-handed pitcher Jeremia Berroa. Kim, who is listed as being born in Australia, spent his childhood in South Korea before returning to Australia to continue his baseball career. His father, David Kim, was an 18th-round draft selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997 out of Seton Hall University and currently serves as an international scout for the Minnesota Twins.

Reports suggest that Kim is receiving a $200,000 signing bonus, as noted by Ethan Hullihen, who tracks various financial aspects related to the Pirates. This signing leaves Pittsburgh with approximately $62,000 remaining in their 2023 international signing pool.

These acquisitions come just before the conclusion of the current international signing period. Earlier, the Pirates traded $500,000 in bonus pool money to the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Billy McKinney, who later re-signed with the Yankees on a minor league contract on December 9. The Yankees reportedly utilized the acquired bonus money to sign Dominican catcher Justin Capellan for $450,000, as per Jack Curry. Nolan Gorman Jersey