Pittsburgh plans to split the closer's role between Stratton and David Bednar to begin the season, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Stratton picked up eight saves and had a 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 86:33 K:BB across 79.1 innings last season, and he split save chances with Bednar after Richard Rodriguez was traded to Atlanta. Manager Derek Shelton will employ a similar strategy to begin 2022, with both pitchers being utilized as the closer and setup man depending on the night.