Pittsburgh Pirates: Two Ex-Players Claimed Off Waivers

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 27: Bligh Madris #66 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 27: Bligh Madris #66 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
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ST LOUIS, MO – JULY 12: Junior Fernandez #44 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on July 12, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – JULY 12: Junior Fernandez #44 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on July 12, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)

Two ex-Pittsburgh Pirates players were claimed off waivers in the last 24 hours as they prepare to begin the next journey in their baseball careers

It’s waiver claim season across baseball. On Friday, a pair of former Pittsburgh Pirates payers were swept up in the madness as they were claimed off waivers. With this, the next journey in their baseball careers begin.

Junior Fernández was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in September. This came after he was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite possessing a power two-seamer and plus stuff, Fernández has always struggled with control which has led to him struggling to find traction in the majors.

Earlier this week, Fernández was designed for assignment by the Pirates. This was done as the team needed to make room on their 40-man roster to protected prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. Fernández pitched just 3.1 innings as a Pirate, allowing a hit, walking four and striking out two.

On Friday, Fernández was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees. The last time a Pirate reliever with plus stuff but who struggled with control went to the Yankees, it was Clay Holmes who went on to become one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. For the sake of Pirates Twitter let’s hope that does not happen again.

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