Pirates Pitcher Exercising Upward Mobility Clause
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PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher is looking at his best options for the start of the season, even if that's not with his current team.
The Pirates reassigned left-handed pitcher Joe La Sorsa to minor league camp, leaving him off the Opening Day roster, and he is reportedly exercising his upward mobility clause as a result, according to Ari Alexander of 7News Boston.
His upward mobility clause will give him a chance for the other 29 MLB teams to decide if they want to give him a shot on their Opening Day roster.
If a team is interested in La Sorsa, the Pirates could either put him on their Opening Day roster to combat that, or trade him to that team. If no team shows interest in La Sorsa, then the Pirates will just keep him in the minor leagues, as he is on a minor league deal.
Would Teams Have Interest in La Sorsa?
La Sorsa has pitched at the major league level before, with 46 relief appearances over the past three seasons, and also played with Team Italy at the past two World Baseball Classics in 2023 and 2026.
He hasn't been the most effective relief pitcher in the big leagues, posting a 5.21 ERA, but is still a southpaw, which MLB teams are always looking for.
La Sorsa pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals in 2023, just the Nationals in 2024 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2025, where he moved between the minor leagues and MLB.
The Pirates sending him down wasn't too surprising, as he isn't on the 40-man roster, but they could always use another left-handed pitcher.
Pittsburgh currently has three southpaws in Major League Camp in Gregory Soto, who they signed on a one-year, $7.75 million deal, Mason Montgomery, who they added via trade from the Rays, and Hunter Barco, a rookie and one of their top prospects who will aim for a starting role at some point.
Opening Day is March 26 and with just four days to go, the Pirates still have to send one pitcher down to the minor leagues to get down to 13 pitchers on the 26-man roster.
It's unlikely the Pirates would desginate someone for assignment and put them on waivers just to put La Sorsa on the roster, but they definitely would want to keep him in the minors for later on if possible.
If another team does come around and wants to add La Sorsa, it's most likely the Pirates would let him go and sign with them, doing so via trade of course.
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.