Pirates Claim Former Giants Top Prospect Off Waivers
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates needed more outfield depth heading into next season and made an addition through waivers.
Pirates Land Former Top Prospect off of Waivers
The Pirates announced that they claimed outfielder Marco Luciano off of waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Dec. 5.
This is somewhat of a replacement for the Pirates designating Will Robertson for assignment and then the Baltimore Orioles claiming him the same day.
What the Pirates Get in Marco Luciano
Luciano is a former top prospect, who signed a $2.6 million bonus as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2018.
He stands 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds and spent most of his time in the minor leagues playing shortstop.
Luciano transitioned last season to a left fielder, making 107 starts at Triple-A Sacramento at the position.
He spent all of this last season with Sacramento, where he developed his power and became better at the plate overall, ranking fifth in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) in home runs.
Stats | Total |
|---|---|
Batting Average | .214 |
On-Base Percentage | .335 |
Slugging Percentage | .413 |
OPS | .748 |
Runs Scored | 76 |
Hits | 99 |
Doubles | 21 |
Home Runs | 23 |
RBI | 66 |
Walks/Strikeouts | 85/170 |
Luciano was a previous top prospect, with MLB Pipeline ranking him 22nd and Baseball America placing him at 36th overall, before making his debut with the Giants in 2023.
He played in 41 games total over the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Giants, slashing .217/.286/.304 for an OPS of .590, with 35 hits in 115 at-bats and no home runs.
Luciano struggles with offspeed pitches like the slider and changeup, with his whiff rates at 46.51% and 48.90%, respectively, but is much better against the four-seam fastball and sinker, with both his whiff rates and expected batting average higher on those pitches.
How He Helps the Pirates in 2026
The Pirates need a left fielder heading into 2026, as they haven't re-signed Tommy Pham, who served as their main left fielder in 2025 and was a National League Gold Glove Award finalist.
Luciano likely won't start in left field for the Pirates on Opening Day, but he does give the team another depth piece heading into next season.
The Pirates also welcome his power, as they finished last in baseball with just 117 home runs, 31 less than the next-lowest team, the St. Louis Cardinals, at 148 home runs.
Luciano gets a new opportunity with the Pirates and he's got the opportunity to seriously make something of it in 2026, but it's up to him to go out and do it.
A Look at the Pirates Outfield for 2026
The Pirates do bring back Oneil Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field, but outside of Jack Suwinski, they have little MLB experience remaining on their 40-man roster.
Pittsburgh placed Ji Hwan Bae on waivers, as they made room on the 40-man roster for their players coming off of the 60-day Injured List in early November. The New York Mets soon claimed him on Nov. 6.
The Pirates also designated for assignment both Alexander Canario and Ronny Simon on Nov. 18, amongst the four players moved off the 40-man roster, so they could place six players on it and protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.
Pittsburgh added rising prospect Esmerlyn Valdez to their 40-man roster as a part of those protected from the Rule 5 Draft but he hasn't even played a game at Triple-A yet.
The Pirates also landed top 100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia from the Boston Red Sox, in the five-player trade on Dec. 4 that focused around right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo.
Billy Cook also remains on the 40-man roster for the Pirates, after playing just MLB three games last season.
The Pirates are reportedly trying to add more offense to their roster next season, which means that another outfielder joining the team wouldn't come as that surprising.
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.