The Pirates have released right-hander Tanner Rainey, per the MiLB.com transaction log. He’d been in Pittsburgh’s bullpen earlier this season but had more recently been pitching in Triple-A Indianapolis after being designated for assignment, passed through waivers and re-signed on a new minor league contract.
Rainey’s time with the Pirates’ big league club earlier this year didn’t go well. He pitched in 11 games but lasted only 7 2/3 innings while serving up nine runs on seven hits, six walks and a hit batter. He fanned nine of 37 opponents (24.3%). His fastball, which averaged 97 mph as recently as 2022 with the Nationals, sat at 95 mph.
Since being passed through waivers and heading back to Indy, however, Rainey has been outstanding. He’s pitched in eight games and tallied eight shutout frames with nine strikeouts against five walks. It seems odd that he’d be released on the heels of a run like that, but minor league deals for veterans of this nature often contain opt-out dates, upward mobility clauses and language granting the player the right to pursue foreign opportunities. Any of those could be at play with regard to Rainey, who now has a 3.18 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate in 17 innings at the Triple-A level this season.
The 32-year-old Rainey was a hard-throwing, at times dominant late-inning arm with the Nationals from 2019-23. Command issues have plagued him throughout his big league tenure, but prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery late in the 2022 season, he sat 97 mph with his heater and fanned nearly one-third of his opponents. Since returning from injury, however, has a 5.43 ERA in 59 2/3 big league innings.
He still holds the record of being in the only “Tanner R” trade in history along with Tanner Roark.
I this time of almost every team being desperate for bullpen arms, I wonder why they couldn’t find a taker.
He already passed through waivers once and no one claimed him. That tells you all you need to know about someone wanting to give up something
Cherington should have been included in Rainey’s release
Should Nats sign him back?
Can’t be any worse than the guys they got.
Try again… Pirates ERA leads the league since Shelton was sacked.
Except that now they are giving up more runs than the lackluster offense can themselves score.
Falter has given up 6 homers in his last two starts
Can’t pitch like you throw upper 90’s gas when you don’t any more. Hope he gets another shot somewhere but has to change his approach
I can’t believe that Cherington will be making deadline trades and selecting the players in the draft this weekend.. How can anyone think that after 6 years that he will do any better?
I don’t have a problem with his drafting.
His free agents have been OK.
His pitching development has been excellent.
He gets an F in position player development,and a C- in trades.
Outstanding? 5 walks in 8 innings in AAA is now “outstanding.” His walk rate is over 12%.