The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping Eric Lauer reaches the heights with the Milwaukee Brewers a couple seasons ago. The lefty pitcher signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh on Thursday, affording the team another experienced starter as the 2024 season fast approaches.

“Free-agent left-hander Eric Lauer headed to Pirates on minor-league deal, sources tell The Athletic,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal wrote on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

Lauer struggled last season with the Brewers, finishing with a 4-6 record and career-worst 6.46 earned run average. He fared far better during his first two years with the Brewers, going 11-7 with a 3.69 earned run average in 2022 and 7-5 with a personal-best 3.19 earned run average in 2021. The 28-year-old was acquired by Milwaukee along with Luis Arias via trade from the San Diego Padres on November 27th, 2019 in exchange for Trent Grisham, Zach Davies and cash considerations.

Lauer's Major League debut came in 2018 with the Padres, when he went 6-7 with a 4.34 earned run average in 23 starts. He was similarly effective in his second MLB go-around, winning eight games against 10 losses with a 4.45 earned run average over 29 starts.

San Diego selected Lauer with the No. 25 pick of the first round in the 2016 MLB Draft. He'd previously been drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 as a high-schooler, but opted to attend Kent State University instead of turning pro.

Pittsburgh went 76-86 in 2023, missing out on the postseason for the eight consecutive year. The team has higher hopes for 2024, though, eyeing its first taste of playoff baseball since 2016.

“Last year, we didn’t have the team that we have this year now,” shortstop Liover Peguero said in late January, per 11 News. “I feel like this year’s going to be a huge year for us, just trying to make it to the playoffs. That’s our main goal.”