Pirates Outfielder Elects Free Agency
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will not have one of their players with them any longer, as they decided to go play elsewhere.
Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios elected free agency after he cleared waivers, according to John Dreker.
Josh Palacios has elected to become a free agent. Pirates sent him outright to Indianapolis after he cleared waivers two days ago
— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) March 31, 2025
Palacios hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. and played for the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology, earning 2013 New York City High School Player of the Year honors.
The Cincinnati Reds selected him in the 31st round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but he decided on playing for San Jacinto Junior College.
He hit .376 with six doubles and 26 RBIs for San Jacinto as a freshman in 2014 and then .364 with 12 doubles, nine triples, 36 RBIs and 29 stolen bases as a sophomore in 2015.
Palacios then played for Auburn as a junior in 2016, hitting .385 with five home runs, nine doubles, four triples, 23 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 34 games.
The Toronto Blue Jays took Palacios in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, getting him on a $438,100 signing bonus.
Palacios spent almost five seasons in the Blue Jays' minor league system before earning his call-up t- the MLB on April 9, 2021. The Blue Jays would send him back down to Triple-A Buffalo on May 3 and designated him for assignment on April 11, 2022.
The Washington Nationals claimed Palacios off of Waivers on April 15 and he played in 29 games at the MLB level.
The Pirates would select Palacios in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft and he would spend time at Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis in 2023.
Palacios also played 91 games for the Pirates in the 2023 season, slashing .239/.279/.413, with nine doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 40 RBI.
He played in just 23 games for the Pirates in 2024, dealing with some minor injuries and spending most of his time in Indianapolis, playing 50 games there. He slashed .224/.333/.343 with 15 hits, two doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and 10 walks for the Pirates last season.
The Pirates designated Palacios on assignment back on March 22, as they placed right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton on the 40-man roster.
He cleared waivers on March 29 and the Pirates sent him to the Indianapolis Indians at Triple-A.
The Pirates have outfielders in All-Star Bryan Reynolds, Tommy Pham, Andrew McCutchen, Oneil Cruz, Ji Hwan Bae and Jack Suwinski.
Pittsburgh signed Pham to a one-year, $4 million deal, while McCutchen re-signed on a one-year, $5 million deal. Cruz is starting his first season in center field, after traditionally playing shortstop.
The Pirates also just landed outfielder Alexander Canario in a trade with the New York Mets for cash considerations. Canario is now on the 40-man roster, with pitcher Jared Jones heading to the 60-day Injured List.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.