Pittsburgh Pirates Announce Trio of Pitchers Who Have Signed Minor League Deals
The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed right-handed pitcher Wily Peralta, Brent Honeywell Jr. and Connor Sadzeck to minor league contracts, the team announced Monday.
The trio will join the club for Spring Training on non-roster invitations.
Reports first surfaced about Peralta signing in January, while Honeywell's deal was initially reported on last week. Sadzeck – a 32-year-old, 6-foot-7 journeyman – last appeared in the big leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022.
Sadzeck turned pro in 2011, when the Texas Rangers selected him in the 11th round of the MLB Draft. He worked his way through the Rangers' farm system, and after Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2014, he eventually made his MLB debut in 2018.
While he allowed just one earned run across his first 13 appearances in the big leagues, Sadzeck walked 11 batters in just 9.1 innings of work. Texas designated Sadzeck for assignment on Opening Day 2019.
Four days later, Sadzeck got traded to the Seattle Mariners. Sadzeck tossed 23.1 innings across 20 outings in Seattle, going 0-1 with a 2.66 ERA that season. The righty even flipped his dreadful 0.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio to a far more palatable 1.80.
Sadzeck went on to sign minor league deals with the Chicago White Sox, Brewers, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins. He made two major league appearances for Milwaukee, allowing three earned runs and two home runs in 3.0 innings.
Spending all of 2023 in Triple-A, Sadzeck went 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA.
Sadzeck and Honeywell project as organizational depth pieces for the Pirates, while Peralta's track record suggests he may be closer to earning an actual MLB roster spot. All-Star closer David Bednar and major free agent addition Aroldis Chapman are poised to anchor the back end of Pittsburgh's bullpen, but there are likely to be openings in other roles on the margins.
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