Pirates Move On From Recently Acquired Relief Pitcher
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MILWAUKEE — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a number of moves to bolster their bullpen over the past month, but they've already moved on from one of those additions.
The Pirates announced that they designated right-handed relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio for assignment on Aug. 3, following the trade deadline.
Pittsburgh traded for Miami Marlins right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar, and placing Marinaccio on waivers makes room on the 40-man roster for their new acquisition.
It's not too long from when Marinaccio joined the Pirates, but it shows they aren't afraid to make changes when needed.
Why the Pirates DFA'd Marinaccio
The Pirates traded for Marinaccio, landing him from the San Diego Padres on July 23, sending $500,000 of International Signing Bonus money in exchange.
Pittsburgh designated former right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana for assignment after his struggles this season and hoped that Marinaccio, who the Padres had just DFA'd on July 19, would fill a role.
Marinaccio made four appearances for the Pirates, giving up four earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched in four games.
He made his debut vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on July 25 and gave up a two-run home run to center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in the seventh inning in the 11-0 defeat.
Marinaccio threw a scoreless inning in two outings vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park, July 27-28.
His last appearance came on Aug. 2 vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park and gave up two runs over two innings in the 10-2 defeat in the series finale.
Marinaccio was a decent arm, but the recent acquisitions the Pirates made put him out of what the best version of their bullpen can be.
This includes Camilo Doval of the New York Yankees, Luke Weaver of the New York Mets, Kirby Yates of the Los Angeles Angels and Lake Bachar of the Miami Marlins.
There's a chance Marinaccio could come back to the Pirates if he clears waivers, but another MLB team will try to get him off waivers and the Pirates will most likely trade him.
What Pirates Bullpen Looks Like Post-Trade Deadline
All four additions will play a big role in the bullpen and have opportunities to show what they can do on a consistent basis.
Doval, Yates and especially Weaver will take on high-leverage and late-inning outings, while Bachar can function in the middle-relief role.
The Pirates will have three left-handed pitchers in Mason Montgomery, who has worked as closer, Gregory Soto, who has done well as a setup man, and also Evan Sisk, who should come back off the injured list soon following his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Yohan Ramírez will most likely be the sole remaining right-handed pitcher in the bullpen, another middle relief man, while Carmen Mlodzinski will end up as a starting pitcher with Mitch Keller going on the 60-day injured list.
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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.