The Pirates announced that they have claimed right-hander Peter Solomon off waivers from the Astros and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. He was designated for assignment by Houston on Thursday. To make room for Solomon on their 40-man roster, the Pirates have transferred right Colin Holderman to the 60-day injured list.
Solomon, 26, was a fourth-round draft selection of the Astros in 2017, meaning this will be his first time jumping to a new organization in his career. He pitched well as he climbed the minor league ladder but was limited to just 7 2/3 innings in 2019 before Tommy John surgery shut him down. He was likely to miss most of the 2020 season while recovering, though that became somewhat moot when the pandemic wiped out the minors that year.
In 2021, he returned to the hill and made his major league debut. He tossed 14 innings in the big leagues over six games, registering a 1.29 ERA in that small sample. He spent much more time in Triple-A, however, putting up a 4.70 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League along with a 26.3% strikeout rate. Here in 2022, it’s been a bit of a step back for Solomon, as he has a 5.20 ERA across 97 innings for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys with his strikeout rate dipping to 20.5%.
Despite some of those unsavory numbers, there are reasons for the Pirates to take a flier on Solomon. Baseball America ranked him the #19 prospect in Houston’s system at their midseason update, noting that his five-pitch mix, command and durability give him the tools to potentially become a back-end starter in the big leagues. For a team that’s well out of contention and clearly focused on the future, it’s fairly logical to give Solomon a roster spot and see if he can flourish, especially now that he’ll be away from the PCL. This is Solomon’s second option year, meaning the Pirates can keep him stashed in the minors for the rest of this year and another campaign as long as he continues to hang onto a spot on the 40-man. The rotation is also fairly wide open, currently composed of Roansy Contreras, JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller, Bryse Wilson and Johan Oviedo. All of those guys are still works in progress to varying degrees, with none of them having reached their 29th birthday or 300 MLB innings pitched.
As for Holderman, 26, he was placed on the IL August 26 due to shoulder soreness. The Bucs evidently don’t expect him back this season since this transfer will rule him out beyond the end of the schedule. He made his MLB debut this year with the Mets before going to the Pirates in a trade for Daniel Vogelbach. He will finish his first season with a 3.81 ERA over 28 1/3 innings.
Justice delos Santos of MLB.com tweeted the moves before the official announcement.
Not a bad low risk move.
He’s a good pitcher. He’ll pitch in the majors, worst case as a reliever.
Sugar Land Space Cowboys
What a name
The Pirates have a patent on low risk. In other words, he works cheap and you get what you pay for.
Correction
The Pirates have a patent on diving into the waiver claim dumpster because Nutting’s too cheap to put a competitive team on the field
This move is part of the Pirates plan to win 5/7 against the Mets.
I’d be happy if they didn’t strike out 10+ times a game and actually drove in runs with players in scoring position
Did Derek Shelton have money on the Jays today ?
Pirates look at least five years away from .500 , look awful
O’Neil Cruz will get you some good prospects in 5 years
I’ll see myself out
Sure. Just like Polanco did
Please see your way out. Pirates have nothing to trade in 5 years. Because these prospects and high hopes are nothing more than utility guys on a AAAA team. If Pirates remain in Pittsburgh after the lease is up, I’ll be counting my blessings. I really believe Bob Nutting is going to be pushed out of ownership roles due to MLB owners getting fed up with the way Pirates are preforming on the field. When that happens, there isn’t a new owner who will want to keep them in Pittsburgh. The team burned bridges with fans because of Nuttings lack of effort to put a winning team on the field. His Penny pinching days are numbered
I’d argue a new owner in Pittsburgh would actually entice a lot of the fans if they had a focus on winning. Pittsburgh doesn’t hate the Pirates, they hate Nutting and losing. We have some of the best sports teams in the country here, and whenever the Pirates aren’t a punching bag the city shows up and all out.
Penthouse, meet outhouse.