Where Do Pirates and Jack Suwinski Go From Here?
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PITTSBURGH — Jack Suwinski and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been together for almost five years at this point, but it's likely their relationship is near its conclusion
The Pirates designated Suwinski for assignment on Feb. 16, as they made room for new free agent signing in designated hitter Marcell Ozuna on the 40-man roster.
Suwinski joined the Pirates back on July 26, 2021, as they traded Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres for a package that included him, utility player Tucupita Marcano and right-handed pitcher Michel Milano.
His tenure with the Pirates should come to an end soon, but there's the possibility he ends up staying with the team this season.
What Now Happens Between Pirates and Jack Suwinski
The Pirates, following designating Suwinski for assignment, now have two decisions they must make over the next seven days, by Feb. 23.
Pittsburgh can trade Suwinski to another team or they can place Suwinski on outright or unconditional release waivers, where a team can claim him and put him on their 40-man roster.
If Suwinski clears outright waivers, the Pirates can then outright him to the minor leagues, Triple-A Indianapolis in this case.
Players with five years or more of service time can reject the outright to the minor leagues, while players with three years or more of service time, or if they've been previously outrighted, can also reject the outright and elect free agency.
If Suwinski goes on unconditional release waivers and clears them, then he would be unconditionally released.
Suwinski is a Super Two player, which are those who have more than two years, but less than three years of service time and meet certain criteria.
This means that Suwinski could elect free agency, but since he doesn't have five years of service time, he would not keep his termination pay, according to Ethan Hullihen.
Pittsburgh signed Suwinski to a one-year, $1.25 million deal on Nov. 18, avoiding arbitration with him for this season. This means that Suwinski would not make any of that $1.25 million if he chose to elect free agency.
This makes it likely that the Pirates will either trade Suwinski or that he clears waivers and ends up outrighted to Indianapolis.
Recapping Jack Suwinski's Pirates' Tenure
Suwinski made his Pirates debut in 2022, slashing .202/.298/.411 for an OPS of .709, but still hit 19 home runs in his rookie season, second best on the team.
This then resulted in a great 2023 campaign for Suwinski, leading the Pirates with 26 home runs and slashing .224/.339/.454 for an OPS of .793 in 144 games, with 100 hits, 21 doubles, two triples, 74 RBI and 75 walks to 172 strikeouts.
Suwinski then regressed in 2024, slashing .182/.264/.324 for an OPS of .588 in 88 games, with 45 hits in 247 at-bats, eight doubles, just nine home runs, 26 RBIs and 27 walks to 79 strikeouts, which resulted in him earning two demotions to the minor leagues.
This then continued into 2025, where he slashed 147/.281/.253 for an OPS of .534 in 59 games over two MLB stints, 22 hits in 150 at-bats, seven doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 24 walks to 57 strikeouts, which saw him sent down to the minor leagues after making the Opening Day roster.
If this is the end of Suwinski with the Pirates, he slashed .199/.305/.389 for an OPS of .694 in 397 games over the past four seasons, with 233 hits, 47 doubles, 57 home runs, 148 RBI and 167 walks to 422 strikeouts.
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.