Sunday was Derek Curiel’s day in Pittsburgh.
The No. 5 overall selection in the MLB Draft officially signed his contract which included a $6.2 million signing bonus from the Pirates. Two years ago, he spurned potentially seven figures to play a pair of seasons for LSU.
It paid.
The Pirates are no strangers to scouting LSU Tigers. They drafted Paul Skenes first overall in 2023, took Jared Jones in the ninth round in 2025 and now have added Curiel to the fold. Head coach Jay Johnson made the trip up to Steel City to watch Curiel sign.
The Pirates took notice.
“I also want to recognize Jay Johnson here, the head coach at LSU,” said general manager Ben Cherington. “I was kind of joking last night that we’re going to continue our collaboration in building the Pirates brick by brick. Obviously, impressive what Jay has built at LSU, and we’re excited to get a chance to work with guys that he has, too.”
Curiel, draped in the Pirates home jersey with block lettering and gold trim, mentioned his now former coach, as well.
“Coach Johnson does a great job,” Curiel said with a big smile. “He’s a great recruiter, great coach. He knows the game well. It’s part of the reason we trusted him when I chose to go to LSU. He develops well. He develops young men and develops great baseball players. That’s just what they do, and they’re not stopping anytime soon. They’re just getting started.
“I’m definitely a Tiger for life.”
