Angels to Acquire Former Top Prospect From Pirates In Trade

The right-hander will ostensibly join the Angels' major league roster right away.

Apr 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Roansy Contreras (59) is the Angels' newest reclamation project. | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Roansy Contreras, a consensus top-100 prospect in 2022 and a regular member of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation last year, is the Angels’ newest reclamation project. The Angels acquired the 24-year-old right-hander in a trade Thursday and will apparently welcome him to their major league pitching staff right away.

Contreras was designated for assignment by the Pirates five days ago. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com was the first to report the trade; the Pirates’ return in the deal is as of yet unknown.

Sources: Pirates have traded RHP Roansy Contreras to the Angels. Contreras was designated for assignment Saturday

— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) May 16, 2024

The Angels had an open 40-man roster spot after designating left-handed reliever Amir Garrett for assignment Wednesday. They also announced that right-handed pitcher Davis Daniel and utility player Niko Goodrum had been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake, so no corresponding 26-man roster move is necessary to add Contreras.

Contreras was 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 games, all as a reliever. He struck out 16 batters in 16.1 innings but had struggled with command (eight walks, 19 hits allowed).

Last season, Contreras went 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA in 19 games (11 starts) with Pittsburgh. Overall he’s 9-12 with a 4.83 ERA in 53 career games dating to his 2021 debut.

Contreras was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He was traded to Pittsburgh in Jan. 2021 as part of a five-player deal that sent Jameson Taillon to New York. 

The Angels (16-28) had a collective ERA of 4.77, 28th in Major League Baseball, entering Thursday's off-day.