4:21pm: Gray has indeed opted free agency. He can now sign with any club.
2:04pm: Pirates infielder Tristan Gray cleared waivers following last week’s DFA, MLBTR has learned. As a player with a prior outright assignment, he’ll have the option of rejecting a second outright in favor of free agency, if he chooses to do so. If he accepts an outright assignment, he’d likely be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis and be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.
Gray, 29 in March, landed with the Bucs back on Halloween when they claimed him off waivers from the A’s. Over the past calendar year, Gray has signed as a minor league free agent with the Marlins, been selected to the majors, and claimed off waivers by the A’s and Pirates.
The Pirates were Gray’s original organization, selecting him in the 13th round back in 2017. He was traded to the Rays less than a year later as part of the deal bringing outfielder Corey Dickerson to Pittsburgh. He went on to spend parts of six seasons the Rays organization, briefly making his MLB debut with Tampa Bay in 2023. He only appeared in two games and tallied five plate appearances, but Gray made the most of that tiny look when he popped his first big league homer off righty Jorge Lopez. Gray totaled 31 plate appearances between the Marlins and A’s in 2024 and went 3-for-28 with a double.
While he hasn’t hit much in a tiny big league sample, Gray has shown plenty of pop in the upper minors. He swatted 33 homers with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A club in 2022 and connected on another 30 in 2023. He’s played in parts of four seasons in Triple-A and posted a combined .238/.306/.472 batting line.
Gray has played all four infield positions in his professional career, though shortstop has been the most frequent, with 2477 innings there. The Marlins and A’s played him at the corners exclusively in 2024, however. Overall, Gray has 1439 professional innings at third base, 1312 at second base and 911 at first base. He’s a versatile left-handed bat with some platoon issues and strikeout concerns but plenty of pop and a better-than-average walk rate in each of the past two Triple-A campaigns.
MLBTR originally reported that Gray had already been assigned outright to Triple-A, which is not accurate. We regret the error.
May I present to you, the new NYM 1B!
No thanks
*sarcasm* do you speak it?
too bad they couldn’t place Nutting on waivers
Paul- The Pirates did do that.
No other MLB team wanted him.
He chose to come back to the Pirates organization.
I understand why Tristan chose to test free agency. Given the scarcity of players across the league who can effectively fill a utility role, third base, or even first base, his decision makes sense. By pursuing free agency, he increases his chances of securing a minor league contract with a team that has a clear need in those areas, potentially earning a spot as a non-roster invitee during spring training. Mets, Yankees, Angels maybe?
Yeah, unfortunately I could see this as an Angels minor league signing.
That wouldn’t be bad as a depth signing.
Looks like the new Yankees third baseman, he’s better than DJ!
This screams AJ Preller.
Mariners
Ross Atkins! The answer to all your problems! Sign Gray and save your job!