Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters (including Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that right-hander Peter Strzelecki will be designated for assignment. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Ryan Borucki, as reports over the weekend indicated that the southpaw’s contract would be selected.
This is the third time Strzelecki has been designated for assignment within the last 366 days, and his first two trips into DFA saw the righty get traded elsewhere. It was almost exactly a year ago that the Guardians acquired Strzelecki for cash considerations after the Diamondbacks designated him, and Strzelecki went on to post a 2.31 ERA in the small sample size of 11 2/3 big league innings out of Cleveland’s bullpen. The Guards DFA’ed Strzelecki in November, and he then went to the Pirates in another cash deal.
With only a 7.00 ERA to show from nine innings (across nine appearances) this spring, Strzelecki didn’t make a great case for himself in trying to win a job on Pittsburgh’s roster. Strzelecki is out of minor league options and thus couldn’t have been sent down to the minors without first being DFA’ed, and yet the the Pirates still decided to go with Borucki, who posted far better numbers in Grapefruit League action.
Strzelecki has pitched in each of the last three MLB seasons, delivering a respectable 3.44 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 8.4% walk rate across 83 2/3 frames with the Brewers, D’Backs, and Guardians. He spent most of the 2024 season at Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.01 ERA and pretty solid peripherals over 46 2/3 innings, as a .352 BABIP may have been the chief reason for Strzelecki’s inflated ERA.
This calls for a trade for Mike Yastrzemski.
If you give Yaz chase pitches you always have a chance to win.
Can I buy a vowel?
Only if you play Mark Rzepczyski in Scrabble.
_h man, I’m b_ned!
Rearranging the deck chairs.
On the poop deck
This brings to mind what happened to Peter last year in Arizona. Will something weird happen to Brent at the end of this season?
The strange thing was someone got too close to the action.
A not so bright polish pitcher can get smarter when he learns to throw the Football slider.
Eating Pierogies, Halupkies and throwing football sliders makes you a very happy person.
Peter and Brent came together again but their time together is ending for the moment. Will they try again next year?
By midseason, Pittsburgh could flip Borucki and a bigger name (like Bednar) for a haul, using Strzelecki’s exit as the catalyst to unclog the roster and fast-track prospects like Bubba Chandler—all without anyone noticing the bigger picture. The Pirates are banking on Strzelecki’s trade appeal and Borucki’s optionality to quietly stockpile assets, turning a “bullpen cut” into a multi-step optimization of WAR, dollars, and farm system depth.
Not going to need relief pithers if you don’t score! Cruz or someone has to have a monster season to contend!
Too many consonants! Especially Zs!