Players Out of Minor League Options Pose Interesting Dilemmas for Pirates

In the spring a young mans fancy lightly turns to thoughts of which Pirates are out of minor league options.

Maybe only in Pittsburgh.

Or maybe its thoughts of love, I forget which.

In any case, to the uninitiated, a player who has run out of options cant be dispensed to the minor leagues without first clearing outright waivers, meaning his team could risk losing him to a waiver claim.

Following are predictions for every Pirates player with less than five years in the majors whos run out of options.

(Note that players with at least five years in the majors can refuse an optional assignment.) Pirates Out of Minor League Options Create Interesting Dilemmas The Presumptive Starting Catcher Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has taken some heat, much of it deserved, for the failure to construct a competitive roster after five years at the helm.

Not so with last years early season acquisition Joey Bart.

All Bart did was seize the starting catcher job by hitting .265/.337/.462, 13 HR, 45 RBI, and a team-leading 120 OPS+.

With Endy Rodriguez on the injured list all season long and Henry Davis continuing to struggle with major league pitching, Bart was a godsend.

Rodriguez is ready to go in 2025 and seems assured of a spot on the active roster.

The Pirates insist theyre not giving up on Davis and his power-hitting potential.

Even so, Bart should have no worries about being optioned out.

Hes the No.

1 catcher until proven otherwise.

Its difficult for a team to carry three catchers, but if the Pirates go that route, it can work.

Rodriguez can also play first and second base and the outfield.

The Pirates want him to work strictly as a catcher, but that can change.

Davis has also played the outfield, but not well.

The Budding Superstar As every self-respecting baseball aficionado knows, Oneil Cruz was moved from shortstop to center field late last year.

Ideally, he would learn a new position in the minors instead of at the major league level.

However, Cruz being out of options puts the Pirates in a bit of a conundrum.

Hell continue to get a crash course in center field in the spring but will likely continue learning on the fly during the regular season.

Hindsight is 20/20, but it would have made more sense for Cruz to make the switch in 2021 when he was in the minors.

But he wanted to be a shortstop.

The Pirates accommodated.

They needed to keep him happy in the event he became a long-term deal candidate.

One thing is certain, and thats that they need Cruzs bat.

In 2024, he hit .259/.324/.449, 21 HR, 76 RBI, and 113 OPS+ while stealing 22 bases.

Per Baseball Reference, Marcels Projections has Cruz hitting .253/.321/.447, 19 HR, and 65 RBI with 17 steals in 2025.

The offensively challenged Pirates cant sneeze at that type of production.

Theyll live with his mistakes in center field.

Unfortunately, Cruz has proven to be a slow learner.

Thus, there may be more mistakes over a longer time than the Pirates can live with.

But by waiting until Cruz was out of options to make the switch, thats the hand the Pirates will have to play.

Little Room to Falter Acquiring left-handed starter Bailey Falter from the Philadelphia Phillies for immature infielder Rodolfo Castro in 2023 was another feather in the cap of the much-maligned Cherington.

As for 2025, however, Cherington should be happy he works for Bob Nutting and not Elon Musk, as he might have trouble listing five things he accomplished this offseason.

One thing he did accomplish, however, was inking free-agent veteran left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney to a one-year deal.

What may happen with Falter, whos out of options, is one of the biggest dilemmas the Pirates might face.

Falter got off to a great start in 2024.

But he struggled later, finishing the season 8-9 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.286 WHIP.

Even so, the Pirates had to like what they saw from the 27-year-old early in the season.

But did they like it enough to upset the entire starting rotation? Heaney, Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and probably Jared Jones are assured spots in the rotation.

If one of the Pirates many starting pitching prospects, say Bubba Chandler, claims a spot in the spring, Falter could be the odd man out .

It would leave the Pirates with the choice of trading Falter or moving him to the bullpen.

The relief corps is already well-stacked with left-handers.

Furthermore, in 2024, Falter relied mainly on a four-seam fastball, which he threw 48.5 percent of the time, but averaged just 91.8 mph, placing it in just the 19th percentile among starting pitchers.

Thats not likely to play coming from the bullpen.

Should the Pirates face this scenario, the guess here is that Falter will be kept in the bullpen anyway, in a low-leverage role.

It wouldnt be the best way to use him, but it would be better than losing him.

Lovable but Expendable Left-handed hitting outfielder Joshua Palacios, 29, is one of many players acquired by Cherington using his knowledge of players from his days as an executive with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Palacios plays with infectious enthusiasm and has become a fan favorite.

He doesnt shy away from big moments and has been an effective pinch-hitter, going 9-for-24 in that role with two home runs as a Pirate.

But hes out of options and has hit just .236/.291/.398 in parts of two seasons with the Pirates.

Pinch hitting has become of less importance since the National League adopted the designated hitter.

Furthermore, with Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier having recently been added, enthusiasm, fans opinions, and a Toronto connection wont be enough to propel Palacios onto the final 26-man roster.

Given Palacios age and so-so defense, the Pirates will probably take a chance at trying to pass him through waivers.

From there, the guess is that Palacios will remain in the organization as a depth option.

Pirates Relief Pitchers Sans Options Three members of the Pirates bullpen fit this description: Dennis Santana, Peter Strzelecki, and Joey Wentz.

Barring a spring training implosion, Santana should be a lock to make the team.

He was the Pirates best relief pitcher after he was acquired from the New York Yankees last June.

(Cheringtons revenge for the Clay Holmes trade , perhaps?) With Pittsburgh, Santana had a 2.44 ERA and 0.925 WHIP, including a 21-game streak without allowing an earned run.

Wentz was also effective after being picked up in a September waiver claim .

In eight games and 12 innings with the Pirates, Wentz produced a 1.50 ERA and 1.000 WHIP.

Unfortunately, as a left-hander, he may be the victim of a numbers game if Ryan Borucki makes the team and Falter is moved to the bullpen.

If other relievers step up in the spring and show they belong on the final roster, the Pirates wont have any qualms about exposing Wentz and Strzelecki, both of whom were acquired for cash, to outright waivers.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

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