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Pirates Select Rafael Flores

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The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores. In a corresponding active roster move, infielder Liover Peguero has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The 40-man roster had a vacancy but is now full.

Flores, 24, was just acquired from the Yankees as part of the deadline deal sending David Bednar to the Bronx. He was going to be available in the upcoming Rule 5 draft if not added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster. They were surely planning to give him a roster spot in order to him from that draft. Doing so a few months early allows them to get a look at him in the big leagues before the offseason arrives.

The youngster took an unusual path to being a notable prospect. He attended Rio Honda, a community college outside Los Angeles, and was playing summer ball for the Alaska Goldpanners when the Yanks found him and signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He was roughly league average at the plate in 2023 while playing at the High-A level.

Flores seemed to take a big step forward last year, both offensively and defensively. He stepped to the plate 506 times between High-A and Double-A, producing a combined .279/.379/.495 line and 152 wRC+. FanGraphs ranked him 34th in the system prior to that campaign, noting that his work behind the plate was improving. Baseball America ranked him tenth among New York farmhands heading into the current season.

The 2025 season has seen Flores boost his stock even further. The righty-swinging 24-year-old clobbered Double-A pitching at a .287/.346/.496 pace (145 wRC+) in 370 plate appearances and has hit .281/.363/.459 (119 wRC+) in 157 Triple-A plate appearances with the Pirates following the trade. He’s not great when it comes to controlling the running game, but Baseball Prospectus gives him above-average framing and blocking grades in the minors this year. At the very least, he has the makings of a bat-first option behind the plate — an area of dire need for the Pirates for the past several years.

Catcher has been a revolving door in Pittsburgh ever since the Bucs traded Jacob Stallings to the Marlins after the 2021 season. They’ve since used a combination of Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez, Joey Bart, Jason Delay, Yasmani Grandal, Tyler Heineman, Austin Hedges, Michael Perez, Andrew Knapp and Roberto Perez — among others — and received disastrous results with the bat. Only the Guardians have received less offensive output from their catchers than Pittsburgh’s combined .208/.285/.314 since Opening Day 2022.

The hope moving forward will be that Flores can turn that tide — or at least play a meaningful role in a catching committee that begins to right the ship. The Pirates’ offense, in general, is among the most anemic in baseball on an annual basis. If Flores can provide even average offense (or slightly above), he ought to receive plenty of looks moving forward, given the difficulty the Bucs have had when it comes to scoring runs year over year.

Pirates Reinstate Justin Lawrence From 60-Day IL

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The Pirates announced that right-hander Justin Lawrence has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Fellow righty Colin Holderman has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had a couple of vacancies and the count moves from 38 to 39 with this transaction. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

Lawrence, 30, was claimed off waivers from the Rockies in March. He tossed 11 1/3 innings for the Bucs, allowing just one earned run, before elbow inflammation put him on the 15-day IL in late April. He was quickly transferred to the 60-day IL in early May, suggesting the club didn’t expect him back before July. While he has missed most of the season, he has gotten healthy in time to perhaps log a few more innings before the winter arrives.

Prior to being claimed by the Pirates, he had spent his entire career with the Rockies. He gave Colorado 194 innings with a 5.43 earned run average, 21.3% strikeout rate, 12.5% walk rate and 50.9% round ball rate. The Rockies put him on waivers in March, when the Bucs decided to grab him, perhaps hoping that his upper-90s velocity could translate to better results away from Coors Field. The initial results were encouraging but the injury got in the way.

Lawrence qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player last offseason. He and the Rockies agreed to a salary of $975K. The Bucs will have to decide whether or not to tender him a contract for 2026. Since he has missed most of the season, he won’t be in line for a massive raise. He is out of options and therefore can’t be easily sent down to the minors.

Photo courtesy of Albert Cesare, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Aroldis Chapman, And Offseason Possibilities For The Braves, Rangers, Pirates And Marlins

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What will the Braves do this winter after claiming Ha-Seong Kim? (10:10)
  • What can the Rangers do this winter? (22:05)
  • What can the Pirates do for left field next year? (31:30)
  • Who will the Marlins make available in trades this offseason or at next year’s deadline? (36:40)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images

Pirates To Recall Nick Yorke

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The Pirates are recalling infielder Nick Yorke and right-hander Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Those will apparently be their September 1 roster moves. The Bucs are off today and may not officially announce the moves until tomorrow’s series opener against the Dodgers.

It’s the first promotion of the season for the 23-year-old Yorke. He first reached the majors as a September call-up late last season. He hit .216 with a pair of home runs in 11 games. Pittsburgh optioned him back to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training. Yorke has spent the entire season in Indianapolis, where he has been on the active roster aside from a week on the injured list with a sore shoulder in the middle of April.

Yorke is hitting .287/.348/.406 with seven home runs across 440 plate appearances. He has stolen 17 bases in 23 tries while turning in league average strikeout and walk rates. It’s a solid but hardly dominant showing for a player who also spent a good portion of the 2024 season at that level. To his credit, Yorke has picked things up as the season has progressed. He had a bad April around the injury but has hit fairly well since the beginning of May. Yorke is coming off his best month, as he slashed .337/.382/.446 in 24 games in August.

A first-round pick by the Red Sox in 2020, Yorke was acquired in a one-for-one swap for Quinn Priester at the ’24 deadline. Priester has had a breakout season this year (after being traded to the division rival Brewers). The trade doesn’t look particularly favorable for the Pirates at the moment, but Yorke still has time to emerge as a productive hitter. He’s primarily a second baseman but has a decent amount of corner outfield experience.

Nick Gonzales will get most of the second base playing time down the stretch. Yorke could take a few at-bats in left field from Tommy Pham, who has hit well in the second half but is an impending free agent on a non-contender. While Yorke has barely played any third base in his minor league career, Pittsburgh could also give him a few starts at the hot corner alongside fellow rookie Cam Devanney.

Phillies Claim Tim Mayza

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3:51PM: The Phillies officially announced Mayza’s claim, and Wheeler was placed on the 60-day IL in the corresponding move.

12:32PM: The Phillies have claimed left-hander Tim Mayza off waivers from the Pirates, according to a press release from the Bucs’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis (hat tip to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf).  Philadelphia will need to clear a 40-man roster spot before the transaction becomes official, although this can easily be done by transferring Zack Wheeler to the 60-day injured list.

Mayza himself has been on the 60-day IL for much of the season, as the veteran reliever hasn’t pitched in a big league game since April due to a lat strain and a teres major strain.  Mayza did start a rehab assignment this month, and pitched in four games (two in A-ball, two in Indianapolis) while working his way up to full readiness.

It would seem like Mayza is getting pretty close to being ready for an activation, and he’ll get to make his return for a contending team in Philadelphia.  There hasn’t been any public word that Mayza had been designated for assignment or placed on outright waivers, though those moves aren’t always publicized, especially during August waiver claim season.

In adding Mayza prior to September 1, the Phillies ensure that Mayza is eligible for selection on a postseason roster.  Between Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and Tanner Banks, the Phils already have a good amount of left-handed bullpen depth, though it certainly doesn’t hurt to have another experienced arm on hand.  Mayza has pitched in each of the last three postseasons, amassing a 2.08 ERA over 4 1/3 total playoff innings with the Blue Jays and Yankees.

Pittsburgh signed Mayza to a one-year, $1.15MM free agent deal back in February.  The contract ended up being a wash for the team due to Mayza’s extended injury absence, though he did post a 2.89 ERA over his 9 1/3 innings in a Bucs uniform.  The lefty was a pretty effective bullpen arm for most of his tenure in Toronto, but he struggled badly early in 2024 and was designated for assignment mid-season, with the Yankees putting in a claim.  Mayza somewhat righted the ship with a 4.00 ERA over 18 innings for New York, but the Yankees still chose to non-tender him following the season.

With the Pirates well out of contention, the waiver claim will save Pittsburgh the approximately $190K remaining on Mayza’s 2025 salary.  Since the Phillies are well over the highest tier of luxury tax penalization, Mayza’s price tag will cost them over $400K in both actual salary and additional tax money, though that isn’t exactly a big expenditure for a free-spending club intent on winning a championship.

Blue Jays Claim Isiah Kiner-Falefa

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The Blue Jays have claimed utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pirates, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Toronto subsequently announced the move and transferred right-hander Yimi Garcia to the 60-day injured list in order to create a 40-man roster spot for Kiner-Falefa.

It’s a homecoming for Kiner-Falefa, who signed with Toronto prior to the 2024 season but was traded to Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline. Just over a year later, he’s headed back to the Blue Jays to join the team’s bench for the playoff push. Unlike last year, Toronto is firmly in playoff position with a two-game lead in the AL East. While Kiner-Falefa was a regular fixture on the club’s infield during his first stint with the organization, that’s unlikely to be the case this season given that Andres Gimenez has taken over the everyday second base job while Ernie Clement and Addison Barger have split time at the hot corner.

Of course, Kiner-Falefa isn’t having quite as strong of a season this year as he was when Toronto traded him last year. In 83 games with the Blue Jays in 2024, the utility man slashed an excellent .292/.338/.400 (113 wRC+) while playing superlative defense on the infield for the club. He showed uncharacteristic power in those games, swatting seven homers in just 281 plate appearances, and kept his strikeouts to just a 13.2% clip. That hot stretch caught the attention of the Pirates as they looked to make modest upgrades to their offense last year, but Kiner-Falefa regressed badly and hit just .256/.288/.328 (70 wRC+) across his 169 games in a Pirates uniform.

That production is more befitting of a bench role, but on a weak Pirates offense that had already moved Oneil Cruz to center field last year and traded away Ke’Bryan Hayes at this summer’s deadline, it was enough to earn Kiner-Falefa everyday reps. Perhaps now that the 30-year-old is back in an organization he had considerable success with and will be able to step back into a smaller role, he’ll be able to rediscover the form that made him such an attractive trade piece last summer. Kiner-Falefa could certainly push himself into additional playing time if his performance warrants it; while Barger is unlikely to lose at-bats to the utility man given his strong season this year, he could simply spend more time in right field going forward if the Jays want to get Kiner-Falefa into the lineup more often.

From the Pirates perspective, the move opens up playing time for newly promoted infielder Cam Devanney. Perhaps more importantly in the eyes of Pittsburgh brass, the Blue Jays will take on the remainder of Kiner-Falefa’s $7.5MM salary for the 2025 season. Perhaps that money, as well as other funds saved by trading players like Hayes this summer, will be put towards upgrading the offense this winter.

As for Garcia, the news that he’s been placed on the 60-day injured list is hardly a surprise given that he underwent season-ending elbow surgery on Friday. Garcia finishes the 2025 campaign with a 3.86 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 21 innings of work, and the Jays will have to rely on other veterans in the bullpen like Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Dominguez to make up for Garcia’s absence.

Pirates Promote Cam Devanney, Place Ronny Simon On 10-Day IL

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2:27PM: The Pirates officially announced Devanney’s promotion, with Simon heading to the 10-day IL.  Simon suffered a dislocated left shoulder, so in all likelihood his 2025 season is over.  Making his MLB debut with the Marlins earlier this year, Simon’s first year in the Show saw him hit .234/.299/.273 over 88 total PA with Miami and Pittsburgh, with the move to the Bucs coming via waiver claim in early June.

11:37AM: Ronny Simon is likely to be placed on the 10-day injured list in the corresponding move for Devanney, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes.  Simon was removed from yesterday’s game due to a left shoulder injury after an awkward slide into home plate.  This means that Devanney could be used more in the outfield than in the infield, depending on what happens with Kiner-Falefa’s situation.

10:26AM: The Pirates are calling up infielder Cam Devanney from Triple-A Indianapolis, according to Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports.  The corresponding 26-man roster move isn’t yet known, and Devanney is already on the Bucs’ 40-man roster.

Devanney will be making his Major League debut whenever he appears in a game, though this isn’t his first time in the Show.  The Royals selected his contract from Triple-A in July but didn’t use Devanney in a game during his week-long stint on the active roster, though some of that stint was taken up by the All-Star break.  Before the second half of the season could begin, Kansas City traded Devanney to Pittsburgh in the one-for-one swap that brought Adam Frazier back to the Royals.

The change of scenery has led to a downturn in Devanney’s offense, as his .256/.327/.361 slash line over 147 plate appearances with Indianapolis is well below the .272/.366/.565 slash he had with Triple-A Omaha this season prior to the trade.  While Devanney hasn’t exactly kicked down the door and forced a promotion, the Pirates may soon have a vacancy in the infield if Isiah Kiner-Falefa is claimed off outright waivers.  Rival teams will have to acquire IKF before September 1 to include him on a postseason roster, so Devanney’s call-up could be a hint that Pittsburgh is expecting a claim soon.

Devanney could perhaps replicate Kiner-Falefa in terms of versatility.  Devanney has played mostly shortstop during his career but has a lot of experience at second and third base, plus a handful of appearances as a first baseman and left fielder.  This season’s numbers in Omaha were the high point of a generally productive run in Triple-A for the infielder, who has slashed .264/.349/.469 with 53 homers over 1404 with the top affiliates of the Pirates, Royals, and Brewers.  A 15th-round pick for the Brew Crew in the 2019 draft, Devanney was dealt to the Royals as part of the 2023-24 offseason trade that sent Taylor Clarke from K.C. to Milwaukee.

Pirates Place Isiah Kiner-Falefa On Outright Waivers

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The Pirates have placed veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on outright waivers, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He’ll be available to all 29 other clubs, with waiver priority determined based on the reverse order of the MLB-wide standings. (Outright waiver priority is not league-specific like the now-defunct revocable August trade waivers were.)

Because he has not been designated for assignment, Kiner-Falefa can continue to play while on waivers. If another team claims him, which seems plausible, he’d be postseason-eligible because he’d join that club before Sept. 1. (Waivers are a 48-hour process.) He’s being paid $7.5MM this season, with about $1.21MM of that sum yet to be paid out.

The Pirates do not have to assign him outright to a minor league affiliate if he goes unclaimed. They could do so if they choose, but Kiner-Falefa would have the right to then elect free agency and retain the remainder of his guaranteed money. They could also opt to simply release Kiner-Falefa if he goes unclaimed, as the Guardians did with veteran first baseman Carlos Santana, which would give him one more chance to jump into a playoff hunt between now and season’s end.

In 419 plate appearances, Kiner-Falefa is batting .268/.304/.337. It’s a light batting line (78 wRC+), but he’s gone 15-for-19 in stolen base attempts and played a respectable shortstop this season. Kiner-Falefa is a versatile defender with experience at short, second base, third base and all three outfield spots.

The Pirates somewhat surprisingly didn’t trade Kiner-Falefa at the deadline. Presumably, his middling offensive contributions didn’t garner strong interest. However, as teams gear up for the stretch run and look to deepen their benches, Kiner-Falefa’s brand of speed, contact (15.5% strikeout rate) and defensive versatility could hold appeal. He’s struggling quite a bit against lefties this year, despite being a right-handed bat, but he entered the season with more or less neutral platoon splits in his career.

For the Bucs, the waiver route presents an opportunity to trim some payroll and to afford a veteran player the opportunity to join a postseason chase in the season’s final month. By waiting until the end of the month to make the move, they made it as affordable as possible for teams with interest in claiming him. Kiner-Falefa’s contract does contain $250K bonuses for reaching 500 and 550 plate appearances, but he’s 81 shy of that mark right now thanks largely to a monthlong stay on the IL for a hamstring strain back in April/May.

If another club claims Kiner-Falefa, it’d open more at-bats for younger infield options. There’s no way the Bucs would call up 19-year-old Konnor Griffin, currently ranked as MLB’s top prospect, when he has just eight games above A-ball to his credit right now, but they could give some reps to former trade acquisitions like Nick Yorke or Cam Devanney in the season’s final month.

Pirates Release Andrew Heaney

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August 29: Heaney has officially been released, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker.

August 26: The Pirates announced Tuesday that veteran left-hander Andrew Heaney has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to center fielder Oneil Cruz, who has been reinstated from the injured list. Pittsburgh also optioned infielder Ronny Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalled right-handed reliever Dauri Moreta from Triple-A.

Heaney, who turned 34 in June, signed a one-year deal in the offseason, guaranteeing him $5.25MM. Early in the 2025 campaign, it looked like one of the best low-cost pickups of the winter by any team. The veteran southpaw raced out to a strong start, tossing 78 1/3 innings of 3.33 ERA ball in his first 14 trips to the bump. Heaney posted a sharp 7.5% walk rate in that time, and while a pedestrian 18.5% strikeout rate and somewhat elevated 1.26 HR/9 mark pointed to some degree of regression — he had a 4.47 FIP and 4.51 SIERA in that time — the reckoning was more emphatic than anyone could’ve reasonably anticipated.

A pair of consecutive seven-run drubbings in mid-June proved to be the beginning of a two-month spiral from which Heaney simply hasn’t been able to recover. Over his past 42 innings, he’s been trounced for 43 earned runs (9.21 ERA) with just a 12.1% strikeout rate. Opponents have averaged a staggering 2.79 home runs per nine innings pitched during that span.

The Pirates recently demoted Heaney to the bullpen, but the change in roles didn’t prove beneficial. He’s surrendered six runs in 1 1/3 innings across his two most recent relief outings, including five runs in just two-thirds of an inning last night.

Some onlookers might cynically liken Heaney’s DFA to the Pirates’ much-maligned 2024 decision to designate Rowdy Tellez for assignment when he was just four plate appearances shy of a $200K bonus. Given the prolonged nature of Heaney’s struggles, this looks to be a much different scenario. In fact, last night’s two-thirds of an inning proved to be just enough to push Heaney over 120 innings on the season (120 1/3 overall), which unlocked a $50K bonus.

Had the Pirates kept trotting him out there, Heaney could’ve unlocked further incentives. (He’d have taken home another $100K at 130 innings and $150K at 140 innings pitched.) However, based on his past two months, there’s no incentive for the team to keep giving him opportunities. Heaney had ample opportunity to pull himself out of the slump and wasn’t able to do so. In the end, he’ll wind up earning $5.3MM this contract, and the innings that would’ve gone to him will instead go to younger arms whom the Bucs can control beyond the current season.

Pittsburgh surely tried to find a trade partner prior to the deadline, but even then, Heaney was riding a streak of 28 runs surrendered in his past 28 2/3 innings. He’d been tagged for 15 home runs in his past 50 innings. It’s easy to imagine most teams seeking pitching felt they could get comparable or better results simply sticking in house.

With Heaney now off the 40-man roster, he’ll be placed on waivers. It’s largely irrelevant whether that’ll be outright waivers or release waivers, as it’s unlikely anyone will claim the remaining $932K on his contract after struggles of this magnitude, and he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency while retaining the remainder of his guaranteed salary. Barring what would be a very surprising claim, he’ll be a free agent within the next few days. He could latch on with a new club as pitching depth for the final month of the season and could technically be postseason-eligible if he signs with a new team prior to Sept. 1 — though he’d obviously have to turn things around in a hurry to be considered for a spot on anyone’s October rosters.

MLBTR Podcast: A Conversation With Pirates GM Ben Cherington — Also The O’s, Zack Wheeler, And The Rangers

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Pirates general manager Ben Cherington to discuss…

  • What attracted Cherington to a smaller market like Pittsburgh (2:40)
  • Why have the Pirates been so much better at developing pitching than hitting? (5:10)
  • The choice of picking Paul Skenes first overall in 2023 (9:05)
  • The Pirates not having signed a free agent to a multi-year deal in many years (13:45)
  • Is there a sense of urgency for the Pirates to make something happen in the near future? (16:20)
  • The balance of subtracting pitching to add hitting (18:45)
  • What percentage of rumors that make it to the public are based in fact? (22:30)

Plus, Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors joins the show to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

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