Breaking News: Pirates trade their top prospect, a right-handed pitcher, to the Angels for cash

1:50pm: According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Angels sent cash to the Pirates as part of the deal.

1:18pm: Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports that the Angels are acquiring right-hander Roansy Contreras in a trade with the Pirates. Contreras had been designated for assignment by Pittsburgh five days ago.

Roansy Contreras gives a tantalizing taste of potential in Pirates' loss to  Cubs | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Angels currently have an open spot on their 40-man roster after designating left-hander Amir Garrett for assignment yesterday. Earlier today, they cleared a 26-man roster spot by optioning utilityman Niko Goodrum and right-hander Davis Daniel to Triple-A Salt Lake, with infielder Luis Rengifo coming off the injured list. Although a second 26-man roster move had not been disclosed at the time, it now appears that it will go to Contreras, who is out of minor league options and therefore cannot be sent to Triple-A himself.

Contreras was acquired as a Top Prospect

Contreras, who is still only 24 years old, was the headline prospect acquired by the Pirates from the Yankees in the 2020-21 offseason trade involving Jameson Taillon. At the time of the trade, Contreras was widely regarded as one of the top 100 minor league players in baseball, and his early career performances justified the hype. Contreras made his MLB debut at 21 years old late in the 2021 season, pitching three shutout innings. He then went on to make 18 starts and three relief appearances for the Pirates in 2022, pitching a total of 98 innings with a 3.67 ERA, a 21.4% strikeout rate, and a 9.5% walk rate before his 23rd birthday.

 

Pirates pitcher Roansy Contreras believes things have changed after bad  2023 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

However, Contreras struggled during the 2023 season, particularly in the first half, which led to his demotion to the bullpen by the Pirates. In his first 56 1/3 innings last year, Contreras posted a 5.91 ERA with a reduced 17.4% strikeout rate and an inflated 10.1% walk rate. His fastball velocity also dropped noticeably. The 2024 season hasn’t seen significant improvement for Contreras, despite his move to the bullpen. His average fastball velocity remains lower than his previous years’, and his strikeout and walk rates have not improved significantly. Statistically, his profile resembles his struggles as a starter in 2023.

Since the Pirates couldn’t send Contreras to the minors without exposing him to waivers, they chose to designate him for assignment. It’s evident that the team no longer considered Contreras a viable rotation option, especially with several pitching prospects surpassing him in the depth chart. The return of cash in the trade may disappoint Pirates fans, but it reflects the change in perception of Contreras across the league over the past year.

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