Pittsburgh Pirates: Options to Come Off 40-Man Roster for Carlos Santana

Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed veteran first baseman Carlos Santana, who are some options to come off the 40-man roster to make room for the veteran switch-hitter?

General manager Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been busy addressing the first position this offseason. After trading for Ji-Man Choi and claiming Lewin Diaz off waivers, Friday night the team signed veteran Carlos Santana to a one-year deal.

Currently, the Pittsburgh Pirates 40-man roster is full. Due to this they will need to make a 40-man roster move when the Santana signing becomes official. Today we will take a look at some options to come off the 40-man roster for Santana.

Looking at the pitchers on the Pirate 40-man roster there are plenty of options and potential DFA candidates. Due to injury concerns, Max Kranick and Nick Mears could be options to get designated for assignment.

It was somewhat surprising that Duane Underwood Jr. was tendered a contract prior to the non-tender deadline, so he could certainly be an option to get designated for assignment. After struggling mightily in 2022 while bouncing between the starting rotation and bullpen, righties Bryse Wilson and Zach Thompson could be options as well.

Looking at position players there appears to be less candidates. Some people may point at Diaz, but it’s unlikely he is DFA’d that recently after being claimed. Diego Castillo could be an option, but the Pirates appear to remain high on his positional flexibility and ability to hit left-handed pitching.

Outfielders Travis Swaggerty and Ryan Vilade could be options as well. It was made clear last season with the way he was handled that this front office is not high on Swaggerty. As for Vilade, he was claimed off waivers earlier this offseason but does not appear to have a true spot on the roster. If I had to place a bet on who will be taken off the 40-man roster to make room for Santana, my guess would be Vilade.

Regardless of what the move is, a 40-man roster move will need to be made. There will be plenty of options for the Pittsburgh Pirates to clear space for Santana. The question then becomes what will the dynamic at first base look like in 2023? But that is a discussion for another day.