Pittsburgh Pirates Roster
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The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent right-hander Juan Minaya to a minor-league deal on Saturday. The 32-year-old made six appearances out of the bullpen (9 2/3 innings) for the Minnesota Twins in 2022 and allowed six earned runs on eight hits while walking five and striking out 11. It took Minaya eight years to reach the majors after signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2008. In parts of six major-league seasons, he has a decent 3.69 ERA (4.08 FIP), 1.37 WHIP, 10 saves and 25.2 percent strikeout rate in 178 innings pitched (all in relief). Minaya might have a pretty decent shot at pitching in the big leagues for the rebuilding Pirates in 2023, but he won't be on the fantasy radar at all.
Pittsburgh Pirates infield prospect Termarr Johnson, who was the fourth overall pick in last year's draft, has been invited to major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee. The 18-year-old hit .222/.366/.365 with a .731 OPS, one homer, six RBI, seven runs scored and six stolen bases in 23 games with the team's rookie-level affiliate and Single-A Bradenton last year. Johnson won't be making the big-league club, but he could rise quickly through the system if he continues to perform. Along with Johnson, Pirates top prospects Henry Davis and Quinn Priester will also be at big-league camp.
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent infielder Chris Owings to a minor-league deal on Thursday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Owings, a veteran of 10 major-league seasons, spent the 2022 season with the Baltimore Orioles but hit just .107/.254/.143 with no homers, six runs scored and a stolen base in 26 games played. He didn't fare a whole lot better in the minors for the New York Yankees or in an independent league after he was released by Baltimore. Owings hasn't played over 100 games in a single major-league season since 2018 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he'll strictly serve as veteran infield depth with the rebuilding Pirates.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for a "Juan Soto trade" for outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who has asked out of Pittsburgh this offseason, according to an interested team executive. Reynolds has three years left in his current contract, but he makes much less than Soto and isn't in an elite tier of players like Soto. The Pirates offered Reynolds around $76 million, while the Washington Nationals offered Soto $440 million before they traded him to the Padres. The prediction is that Reynolds will remain in Pittsburgh for now due to the absurd asking price, but things could change at the trade deadline in August. The word is that the Bucs sought four top prospects from the New York Yankees, including multiple players from the top group that includes Oswald Peraza, Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez.
According to a tweet from MLB Network's Jon Morosi on Wednesday morning, the Texas Rangers are reportedly "among the top remaining suitors for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates want high-upside pitching prospects for Reynolds, and Texas has three pitchers among MLB's top 100. Reynolds is coming off a solid year at the plate, both for fantasy managers and the Pirates alike. He wasn't quite able to replicate the success he had in 2021, but he still turned in a quality season. The outfielder hit .262 with a .345 on-base percentage, 27 home runs and seven stolen bases in 614 plate appearances for the Pirates last season. The home run tally represented a career-high for the 27-year-old.
