PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – You could tell from Chad Kuhl's first interview last year and his reaction to seeing his teammates sign or get traded elsewhere. There was an envious look in his eye about them and getting a fresh start. You thought he likely wouldn't be committed to staying in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates helped him with that decision non-tendering the right-handed pitcher in late November. Now MLB.com reports Kuhl will sign a major league contract with the Colorado Rockies.
It's not as if he's stepping onto a playoff contender, but it will be a chance to win a fifth starter position on a more experienced team.
The 29-year-old made 28 appearances in 2021, half of those starts. He was 5-7 with a 4.82 ERA pitching 80.1 innings giving up 13 home runs, walking 42, hitting nine batters, striking out 75 with a 1.43 WHIP. He was removed from the rotation late in the season, the splits:
Starter 3-6, 4.43 ERA, 67 innings, 9 home runs, 35 walks, 58 strikeouts, 135 WHIP
Reliever 2-1, 6.75 ERA, 13.1 innings, 4 HR, 7 walks, 17 strikeouts, 1.8 WHIP
Kuhl missed the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery and returned in 2020 to go 2-3 with a 4.27 ERA in 11 appearances, 46.1 innings, 8 HR, 28 BB, 44 strikeouts.
He was a ninth-round pick of the Pirates in the 2013 MLB Draft and made his major league debut in 2016 at age 23. The Pirates won the first six games Kuhl started. The Delaware native's best season was 2017 pitching 157.1 innings with a 4.35 ERA and 142 strikeouts. He allowed the fewest home run totals per nine innings that season, but the injury in 2018 really halted his momentum.
With Kuhl officially gone, the longest-tenured Pirate is 2014 first-round pick Cole Tucker who is fighting for a middle-infield job this year.
