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Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By Former MLB Hitting Coach Rick Eckstein

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Rick Eckstein’s playing career ended with the 1996 Florida Gators, where he played alongside his younger brother David.  Rick moved directly into a coaching role at the University of Florida, the beginning of what has become a respected career.

Eckstein eventually worked his way up the ladder to become the Nationals’ big league hitting coach for nearly five years, working under manager Davey Johnson from 2009-13.  Nats players Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg won Silver Slugger awards under Eckstein’s watch.  After a stint with the Angels as player information coach, Eckstein became an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky.

Following a few years as the Twins’ minor league hitting coordinator, Eckstein was hired as the Pirates’ Major League hitting coach under managers Clint Hurdle and Derek Shelton.  He served in that job for nearly three years.  Rick currently serves as a consultant to MLB hitters, given his vast knowledge and experience in the game.

Rick joined MLBTR readers today for a live chat, covering the new shift rule, working with Davey Johnson, and much more.  Read the transcript here.

Stephenson Dealing With Forearm Discomfort

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  • Pirates reliever Robert Stephenson is suffering from some right arm discomfort, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey tweets.  It seems to be a precautionary slowdown at this point, and Stephenson threw as recently as Saturday.  Heading into his first full season with the Pirates, Stephenson had a 3.38 ERA and a whopping 36% strikeout rate over 13 1/3 innings after the Bucs claimed him off waivers from the Rockies in late August.  Assuming that this arm issue isn’t overly serious, Stephenson is an interesting high-leverage bullpen arm for Pittsburgh, given that he posted good results in 2019 (with Cincinnati) and 2021 (with Colorado).
  • Pirates reliever Robert Stephenson is suffering from some right arm discomfort, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey tweets.  It seems to be a precautionary slowdown at this point, and Stephenson threw as recently as Saturday.  Heading into his first full season with the Pirates, Stephenson had a 3.38 ERA and a whopping 36% strikeout rate over 13 1/3 innings after the Bucs claimed him off waivers from the Rockies in late August.  Assuming that this arm issue isn’t overly serious, Stephenson is an interesting high-leverage bullpen arm for Pittsburgh, given that he posted good results in 2019 (with Cincinnati) and 2021 (with Colorado).
  • Jameson Taillon is on a new team and he is now learning a new pitch, as the Cubs right-hander has started to work on a sweeping slider.  As Taillon tells The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma, he was one of the relatively few Yankees pitchers who didn’t use the “whirly,” as his 2020-21 offseason was spent recovering from Tommy John surgery and adjusting after being traded from the Pirates, and Taillon’s 2021-22 offseason work was hampered by the lockout and recovery from ankle surgery.  “This year, healthy offseason, I signed on the earlier end, got familiar with the pitching coaches and I’m comfortable with my delivery.  So I feel like it’s the perfect storm for being able to tinker a little bit,” Taillon said.  The righty inked a four-year, $68MM free agent deal with Chicago in early December.

Pirates Win Arbitration Hearing Against Ji-Man Choi

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The Pirates won their arbitration hearing against first baseman Ji-Man Choi, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). He’ll earn the $4.65MM salary submitted by the team, as opposed to the $5.4MM salary his camp submitted on exchange day last month.

Acquired in a November trade that sent minor league pitcher Jack Hartman back to the Rays, Choi is heading into his final season of control before he’ll reach the free-agent market. The 31-year-old turned in a .233/.341/.488 batting line with Tampa Bay in 2022, swatting 11 home runs and 22 doubles while operating primarily as a platoon bat at first base and designated hitter. That’s a role with which Choi is familiar; just 16% of his career plate appearances have come against lefties (278 of 1724), and he’s a lifetime .203/.288/.301 hitter against them. Conversely, he’s hit righties at a .247/.356/.454 pace in 1446 plate appearances.

With the Pirates, Choi will pair with fellow offseason acquisition Carlos Santana to split time between first base and designated hitter. He’ll add some thump to a Pirates lineup that mustered only a .224/.296/.362 batting line against righties in 2022 — resulting in an ugly 86 wRC+ that ranked 26th among all MLB clubs.

Choi underwent elbow surgery shortly after the trade, but the Pirates were aware of the injury and confident that he’d be ready to go for spring training. By all accounts, that’s still the expectation. Mackey notes that Choi arrived at Pirates camp this morning but has yet to speak with the media.

With Choi’s salary now set, the Pirates’ payroll is finalized, barring any late additions via the free-agent or trade markets (or any possible extensions this spring). As it stands, they’ll head into the year with just north of $75MM committed to their roster. Small as that number may be, it represents a leap of nearly $20MM over last year’s Opening Day mark of $55.7MM, which ranked 28th among baseball’s 30 teams.

Pirates Sign Kent Emanuel To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates have signed left-hander Kent Emanuel to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He will presumably be invited to major league Spring Training.

Emanuel, 31 in June, was a third round pick of the Astros back in 2013. Though he came up as a starter, he was gradually shifted into spending more time in the bullpen, which led to a solid 3.90 ERA in Triple-A in 2019. He was given a spot on the 40-man roster at the end of that season to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency.

The few seasons since getting that roster spot have been tumultuous, however. He received an 80-game suspension in 2020 after testing positive for the banned substance Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, though he expressed bewilderment at that fact. In 2021, he was able to make his major league debut by tossing 17 2/3 innings over 10 appearances with a 2.55 ERA, but then was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Though he required the internal brace procedure instead of the more common Tommy John surgery, he was still facing an extended absence. He was put on waivers at the end of the season and claimed by the Phillies. He spent all of 2022 in the minors, first on a rehab assignment and then an optional assignment. The Phillies tried converting him back to starting, as he made 13 starts in the minors last year, tossing 58 innings with a 2.64 ERA. But he was placed on the IL in September with a shoulder strain and then outrighted in November.

It’s unclear if the Pirates plan to deploy Emanuel as a starter or move him back to the bullpen. Either way, he’ll provide some non-roster depth to a pitching staff with some uncertainty. The rotation will likely consist of Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras, JT Brubaker, Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez, but the latter two are on one-year deals and could become midsummer trade candidates if the Bucs are out of contention. In terms of left-handed relief, the only two options on the 40-man roster are Jarlín García and Rule 5 draftee Jose Hernandez.

Emanuel will look to work his way onto the roster alongside other invitees like Caleb Smith, Ángel Perdomo, Rob Zastryzny and Daniel Zamora. If he does earn a spot, he still has an option year and plenty of affordable control, with still between one and two years of service time.

Bryan Reynolds Still Open To Extension With Pirates

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Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds reported to camp early, arriving at the Pirates’ spring facility in Bradenton, Fla. today, a few days ahead of the Feb. 20 mandatory report date for non-pitchers and catchers. In meeting with the Pirates beat, Reynolds acknowledged the offseason trade request, stating that “nothing’s really changed from that front” but adding that he’s “been pretty open the past few years that my No. 1 choice would be to sign an extension in Pittsburgh” (Twitter links via The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Reynolds added that he’s simply seeking a “fair” deal for both parties.

Earlier this month, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Pirates had put forth a six-year, $76MM offer as their most recent bid to keep Reynolds on a long-term deal. Mackey reported in January that the two sides were around $50MM apart in their talks. Reynolds didn’t offer specifics this morning but acknowledged that reporting on the situation has been generally on the mark. “Pretty much everything out there has been fairly accurate,” the outfielder said (via Mackey).

All indications from Reynolds are that the situation remains unchanged. Nevertheless, it’s of some note that the 2021 All-Star not only specified that the bridge hasn’t been burned but added that a deal to keep him in Pittsburgh remains his hope. Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington has maintained since Reynolds’ trade request became public that his own hope — and the goal of the organization at large — is the keep Reynolds long term. Whether ownership will greenlight a substantial increase in the offer and whether Reynolds would be willing to come down on his own asking price in a compromise will be determined over the next several weeks, in all likelihood.

The “fair” deal mentioned by Reynolds is, of course, a subjective term — but there’s some relevant context to consider. Pittsburgh’s offer to Reynolds has at least one recent service time comp: newly acquired Braves catcher Sean Murphy, who signed a six-year, $73MM extension earlier in the offseason. However, while both players have between three and four years of MLB service, it’s a flawed comparison for many reasons. Murphy was arbitration-eligible for the first time and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn a relatively modest $3.5MM salary. Reynolds is a Super Two player who’ll be arb-eligible four times as a result; he already signed a two-year, $13.5MM contract covering his first two arb seasons last April — a sum that easily tops what Murphy would have earned going year-to-year in arbitration.

Even before Reynolds agreed to that two-year deal, Swartz had projected him for a $4.5MM salary in his first trip through the process. His two-year deal inherently values his second arbitration year somewhere around $9MM, then. Given that starting point and a pair of remaining trips through the process, Reynolds’ final two arb seasons will likely exceed $30MM on their own.

Viewed through that lens, if the Pirates’ offer began in 2024 (as Reynolds is already signed for 2023), it’d be valuing the player’s first four free-agent seasons somewhere around $42-46MM in total; Reynolds’ reported asking price more than doubles the annual value on those free-agent seasons. Even if the team’s proposed offer overwrote Reynolds’ 2023 salary, it’d “only” be promising him five years and $69.25MM in new money. Again, with his 2024-25 seasons likely topping $30MM on their own, that’d be a roughly $35-39MM value on three free-agent seasons.

Until the situation is resolved one way or another, trade rumblings surrounding Reynolds will abound. There’s no urgency for the Bucs to move him, as he can’t become a free agent until the completion of the 2025 season. The rebuilding Buccos hope to be contending by that point. However, the closer they allow Reynolds to get to free agency, the more the asking price figures to increase. A trade prior to the season seems unlikely at this point, but it’s possible teams could make a renewed push to acquire him over the summer.

Interest in Reynolds has understandably been heavy, both before and after his trade request. The Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox, Padres, Rockies and Marlins are just a few of the teams that have expressed interest in Reynolds, a 28-year-old switch-hitter with a career .281/.361/.481 batting line, 74 home runs, 97 doubles and 18 triples in 2014 big league plate appearances since his 2019 MLB debut.

Pirates Sign Kevin Plawecki To Minor League Deal

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10:13am: Plawecki will make $1.5MM if he makes the club, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.

8:25am: The Pirates announced that they have signed catcher Kevin Plawecki to a minor league deal, as well as announcing their previously-reported deal with left-hander Caleb Smith. Both players will be in major league camp as non-roster invitees.

Plawecki, who turns 32 later this month, has appeared in each of the past eight MLB seasons, largely in a backup catcher role. His 79 games played with the Mets in 2018 are the most he’s tallied in a single major league season. He’s been primarily with the Red Sox for the past three seasons, faring quite well in the first two while backing up Christian Vázquez. Over 2020 and 2021, Plawecki got into 88 games and hit .305/.364/.414. His defense and framing were considered to be around league average as well.

Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2022, hitting .217/.287/.287 in 61 games for the Sox. As the season was winding down in September and the club was sliding out of the playoff race, they decided to give their playing time to younger backstops like Reese McGuire and Connor Wong, designating Plawecki for assignment.

Though Plawecki wasn’t having a great season, he appears to have a strong reputation as a veteran leader. It reportedly didn’t go down very well in the Boston clubhouse when he was let go, with players like Rich Hill and Nathan Eovaldi going on the record to comment on Plawecki’s intangible value to the team. After becoming a free agent, he was signed by an out-of-contention Rangers club, with then-interim manager Tony Beasley highlighting those same leadership qualities at the time.

Plawecki and the Pirates make a good pairing on a couple of levels. As a rebuilding team, the roster skews young and those leadership qualities should prove to be useful in spring and perhaps during the regular season as well. Plawecki will be reunited with Hill, who signed with the Pirates earlier this offseason and spoke so highly of Plawecki last year.

Adding a veteran catcher also makes sense for more straightforward baseball reasons, as the club could use some extra depth there. They only have two catchers on their 40-man roster right now, one of whom is prospect Endy Rodriguez. The young backstop reached Triple-A last year, but only for six games and will likely spend a bit more time there, especially at the beginning of the season. The only other catching option on the roster is Austin Hedges, who was signed in December and figures to get the bulk of the playing time in the bigs.

Assuming Rodriguez begins the year in the minors, the Bucs will need another catcher to pair with Hedges. Plawecki will be in camp trying to win that job, alongside other non-roster invitees such as Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay.

Pirates, Caleb Smith Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Pirates are signing left-hander Caleb Smith to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). The Ballengee Group client had been non-tendered by the Diamondbacks at the start of the offseason.

Smith has spent the past two-plus seasons working as a swingman in the desert. Also a former Yankee and Marlin, the southpaw went from Miami to Arizona at the 2020 trade deadline in the deal that sent Starling Marte to Miami. He started three of four games for Arizona to close out the shortened season but worked primarily in long relief the next two years. Smith made 13 starts in 45 outings during the 2021 campaign and worked out of the bullpen for all but one of 44 appearances last summer.

In both years, the former 14th-round pick managed similar production. He allowed between four and five earned runs per nine innings in each, missing bats at a decent rate but struggling with both walks and home runs. Smith walked nearly 13% of opponents in each season with Arizona while allowing more than 1.5 home runs per nine.

That’s been a consistent theme throughout his big league career. Smith’s high-spin fastball generates a fair number of whiffs and infield pop-ups at the top of the strike zone, though that fly-ball approach has also translated into a decent number of round-trippers. Over parts of six big league campaigns, the 31-year-old has allowed 1.69 homers per nine en route to a 4.55 ERA.

Clubs have been continually intrigued by his ability to miss bats, however. He’s struck out just under a quarter of career opponents while generating swinging strikes on an above-average 12.2% of his offerings. Last year’s 21.5% strikeout rate represented a career low, though his swing-and-miss numbers on a per-pitch basis was right in line with his overall track record. The Pirates have one of the sport’s more favorable ballparks for pitchers, which could aid Smith in keeping the ball in the yard if he cracks the big league roster at any point.

Smith was diagnosed with a tear in the UCL of his throwing elbow last October. It wasn’t severe enough to necessitate Tommy John surgery, as he’s rehabbed the injury without going under the knife. The D-Backs didn’t provide any specifics on his recovery timetable, though the Pirates are sufficiently satisfied with the health of his elbow to bring him aboard.

Assuming he’s healthy enough to partake in Spring Training, Smith can battle for a bullpen job. Jarlín García is the only southpaw locked into the season-opening relief corps, though Rule 5 draftee Jose Hernandez will need to remain in the big league bullpen if the Pirates are intent on retaining his contractual rights.

Smith has been better against left-handed hitters than righties over the course of his career but not dramatically so. He profiles more as a long reliever or depth starter than as a situational matchup weapon. Smith has more than five years of MLB service time and can therefore refuse any minor league option, so if he cracks the MLB roster at any point, he’ll have to stick in the majors or be designated for assignment.

Each MLB Team’s Players On WBC Rosters

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The World Baseball Classic is returning this year, the first time since 2017. The quadrennial event was supposed to take place in 2021 but was scuttled by the pandemic, now returning after a six-year absence. Rosters for the tournament were announced today and those can be found at this link. Here is a breakdown of which players from each MLB team are set to take participate. Quick caveat that this list is fluid and might be changed as more information becomes available.

Without further ado…

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Guardians

Marlins

Mariners

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

Players That Could Move To The 60-Day IL Once Spring Training Begins

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Just about every baseball team has a full 40-man roster now, with the Astros the only team with an open spot at the moment. That means that just about every transaction, be it a free agent signing or a waiver claim, requires a corresponding move.

However, that could soon change as the injured list is coming back soon. There’s no IL from the end of a season until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for the next campaign, which they will do next week. That means some clubs could potentially gain a bit of extra roster flexibility at that time, since players on the 60-day IL don’t count against a team’s roster total. However, it’s worth pointing out that the “60 days” don’t start until Opening Day, which is March 30 this year. That means, though a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL next week, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until end of May or later.

With some notable free agents still unsigned like Jurickson Profar, Andrew Chafin, Michael Wacha, Elvis Andrus and many others, it’s possible that teams interested in their services might try to hold off on getting a deal done until next week. Or perhaps clubs that have players they would like to sneak through waivers will try to do so now, before rival clubs gain that extra roster flexibility with the IL opening up. Then again, some clubs will need to keep in mind non-roster players they are planning to promote by Opening Day and might hold off on making a move until that time.

Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time and could find themselves transferred soon, sorted by division.

AL East

Hyun Jin Ryu/Chad Green

The Blue Jays have a pair of pitchers on their 40-man roster who are returning from Tommy John surgery. They should be on a similar timeline, as they each underwent the procedure in June of last year, though Green will most likely return first since relievers generally require less time to build up arm strength compared to starters. Regardless, the recovery time period for TJS is about 12-18 months, meaning neither pitcher is likely to return until midseason at the earliest. Ryu recently said he was targeting a July return.

Trevor Story

The Red Sox shortstop recently underwent an internal brace procedure on his throwing elbow, a similar operation to Tommy John. Though he’s confident he’ll return at some point, he’s slated to miss most of the upcoming season and is certainly headed for the injured list.

John Means

The Orioles lefty underwent Tommy John surgery in late of April of 2022. With the 12-18 month recovery window for TJS, he could theoretically return in the first couple of months of the season, so the O’s may not want to transfer him to the injured list until they have some clarity about his timeline.

Scott Effross/Luis Gil/Frankie Montas

Effross is a lock for the Yankees’ injured list as he underwent Tommy John in October and will likely miss the entire 2023 campaign. Gil had the same surgery but in May, which means he’ll likely be out until midseason. The situation with Montas is a bit less clear, as he’s dealing with shoulder inflammation that is expected to keep him out for the first month of the season. Unless he suffers some sort of setback, he probably won’t be placed on the 60-day IL right away.

Shane Baz/Andrew Kittredge

The Rays have a couple of hurlers bound for the IL as Baz underwent Tommy John in September while Kittredge had the same surgery in June. They’re both going to miss the first half of the year, with Baz potentially missing the entire season.

AL Central

Casey Mize/Tarik Skubal

Mize underwent Tommy John surgery in June and should be placed on the Tigers’ IL at some point. Skubal’s case is a bit less certain after he underwent flexor tendon surgery in August. The club hasn’t provided a timeline for his recovery but some recent comparables can give us some idea. Danny Duffy underwent the procedure in October of 2021 and was hoping to return by June of 2022, though a setback prevented him from pitching at all on the year. Matthew Boyd went under the knife for flexor tendon surgery in September of 2021 and didn’t return to a big league mound until September of 2022.

Garrett Crochet/Liam Hendriks

Crochet of the White Sox underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year but was already stretched out to throwing from 120 feet in November. Whether he’s able to return in the early parts of 2023 or not will depend on his continued progression in that recovery process. In a less conventional situation, Liam Hendriks announced last month that he’s beginning treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s unknown how long his treatment will take but general manager Rick Hahn said they don’t expect updates “prior to Opening Day at the very earliest.”

Chris Paddack/Royce Lewis

Paddack was recently extended by the Twins though he underwent Tommy John in May of last year and likely won’t be ready to return until the middle of the upcoming campaign. Lewis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in June of last year, the second year in a row that he suffered that unfortunate injury. At the time, his recovery timeline was estimated at 12 months, which likely puts him on the shelf until midseason as well.

AL West

Brett Martin

It was reported last month that the Rangers lefty will require shoulder surgery. It was said that the timeline will become more clear in the aftermath of the procedure but he’s likely to miss the entirety of the upcoming season.

NL East

Bryce Harper

The Phillies superstar underwent Tommy John surgery in November and the club has announced they expect him to be out of action until around the All-Star break in July.

Huascar Ynoa/Tyler Matzek

Both these Braves pitchers underwent Tommy John last year, with Ynoa going under the knife in September and Matzek in October. That makes them both long shots for appearing at all this year, but especially not in the first half.

Max Meyer/Anthony Bender/Sixto Sanchez

The Marlins have a couple of arms that will certainly miss time this year and one more that’s a wild card. Meyer and Bender both underwent Tommy John in August and will miss most of the upcoming campaign. Sanchez underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in October with the club announcing at that time they expected him back by spring. It was reported last month that Sanchez is already throwing bullpens, which perhaps points against an IL stint. However, after the shoulder issues completely wiped out his 2021 and 2022 seasons, it’s hard to know how much to rely on his health going forward.

Danny Mendick

The Mets signed Mendick after he was non-tendered by the White Sox. The infielder/outfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in June of last year and missed the second half of the season. There haven’t been any updates on his status recently, but further clarity will likely come when camp gets rolling.

Tanner Rainey/Stephen Strasburg

The Nationals have one fairly straightforward case in Tanner Rainey, who underwent Tommy John in August and will likely miss most of the upcoming season. What’s less clear is the situation surrounding Strasburg, who’s hardly pitched at all over the past three years due to thoracic outlet syndrome and various issues seemingly related to that. He made one appearance in the big leagues last year, pitching 4 2/3 in one start in June but went on the IL right after and never returned. He spoke about the issue in September, saying he hadn’t thrown in months and that he is “not really sure what the future holds.”

NL Central

Ethan Roberts/Codi Heuer/Kyle Hendricks

Roberts underwent Tommy John in June and likely won’t be available for the Cubs until midseason. Heuer had TJS in March but the latest reporting suggests he won’t return until June or July. The status of Hendricks is less clear, with the righty trying to recover from a capsular tear in his shoulder. The club is hoping to have him back by Opening Day but also said they won’t rush him. He recently said that he’s expecting to be on a mound by March 1.

Vladimir Gutierrez/Tejay Antone

Gutierrez, a Reds righty, underwent Tommy John in July and should miss the first few months of the upcoming season at least. Antone was rehabbing from a Tommy John of his own when he suffered a flexor strain in his forearm. He announced today he’s received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat the issue and suggested he might miss the first half of the season.

Max Kranick

The Pirates right-hander required Tommy John in June and will miss the first half of the upcoming campaign.

NL West

Antonio Senzatela/Tyler Kinley

The Rockies have a couple of murky situations on their hands with these hurlers. Senzatela tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last year and required surgery in August. The timeline at that point was given at 6-8 months, which would place his return somewhere in the February-April window. Whether he’ll require a lengthy IL stint will depend on if his recovery is still on that track. Kinley was diagnosed with an elbow strain and a flexor tear in his forearm in June of last year. He underwent surgery in July with the club announcing they expected him to miss one calendar year, which should prevent him from pitching early in the campaign.

Walker Buehler/Blake Treinen/J.P. Feyereisen

The Dodgers have a trio of pitchers that are likely to miss most or perhaps all of the upcoming season. Buehler required Tommy John in August and could potentially return very late in the year. Treinen underwent shoulder surgery in November with an estimated recovery time of 10 months. Feyereisen underwent shoulder surgery in December and won’t be able to begin throwing until four months after that procedure, or around April. His eventual return to game shape will depend on how long it takes him to progress from simply throwing to getting up to full game speed.

Luke Jackson

The Giants signed the right-hander in free agency, despite Jackson undergoing Tommy John in April. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters last month that there was a chance Jackson begins the year on the 60-day IL, though that doesn’t seem to indicate any kind of setback. “He’s doing great in his rehab, so we’re going to wait and see how he’s doing in spring training,” Zaidi said.

Pirates Sign Juan Minaya To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates have added veteran right-hander Juan Minaya on a minor league deal, per John Dreker of Pirates Prospects.

Minaya, 32, appeared in six games for the Twins last season, tossing 9 2/3 innings of 5.59 ERA ball. Just a year prior he had been an effective member of the Twins’ bullpen, working to a 2.48 ERA over 40 innings. That 2021 season did include a sky-high 85.3% strand rate, so sustaining a mid-two ERA was never likely and it’s particularly telling that the Twins non-tendered him at the end of the season, and it wasn’t until March that he re-signed with them on a minor league deal for the 2022 season. That was just a small sample of work in Minnesota last year, and his peripherals didn’t deviate much between 2021-22 as he maintained an above-average strikeout rate and a below-average walk rate, although his fastball did see a slight drop in velocity last season.

With that being said, Minaya has a solid track record of relief work over his six seasons in the big leagues. Originally signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic back in 2008, Minaya made his debut for the White Sox as a 25-year-old in 2016. He’d turn in four years of service for Chicago, providing them with 128 1/3 innings of 3.93 ERA ball in that time.

While Minaya had a challenging 2022 season, there’s enough there that the veteran hurler could work his way into the Bucs’ bullpen plans with a strong spring training.

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