Dodgers sign former Pirates pitcher in move that will surely backfire on Pittsburgh

There are two immutable truths in baseball: the Los Angeles Dodgers will always find another arm, and the Pittsburgh Pirates will always wonder if this is the one that gets away.

On Thursday, the Dodgers signed right-hander Ryder Ryan to a minor league contract — a transaction that barely registered on the national radar but immediately set off a familiar reflex in Pittsburgh. Former Pirate? Dodgers development lab? Say less. The dread kicked in right on cue.

Ryan isn’t some mystery box with untouched upside. Pirates fans know him well. He made 15 of his 16 career major-league appearances in Pittsburgh in 2024, posting a 5.40 ERA across 21 2/3 innings. Later that summer, the Pirates outrighted him off the roster.

Ryan elected free agency, returned on a minor league deal for 2025, and spent the entire season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where the results were… fine. A 4.79 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 61:38 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 71.1 innings isn’t nothing, but it’s also not the profile of a bullpen savior.

And yet, this is how it always starts.

Former Pirates pitcher Ryder Ryan signs minor league deal with Dodgers

In Ryan, the Pirates saw a depth arm. The Dodgers saw something. A pitch shape tweak waiting to happen. A seam-shifted wake miracle. A slider that just needs a different wrist cue. A fastball that plays better when aimed two inches higher and thrown with slightly more conviction. You can already picture the headline in June: “Former Pirates reliever unlocks new gear in Dodgers bullpen.”

Is it fair? Maybe not. But Pirates fans have been trained by experience. Somewhere between Tyler Glasnow becoming an ace elsewhere, Clay Holmes turning into a Yankees closer (and then a Mets frontline starter) and seemingly random relievers finding a new level the moment they leave Pittsburgh, this paranoia has been earned the hard way.

To be clear, this isn’t a referendum on Ryan. He’s likely headed back to Triple-A, serving as depth, injury insurance, and organizational bulk. He may never throw a meaningful inning for the Dodgers. In all likelihood, he’ll spend most of 2026 riding buses, not October adrenaline.

But that’s not how the story feels in Pittsburgh — not when it’s the Dodgers making the call. Because if Ryan shows up in Chavez Ravine with a sharper breaking ball, a slightly better walk rate, and a couple high-leverage outs in a random August game, the reaction won’t be “good for him.” It’ll be “of course.”

Of course this is the guy they figured out. Of course this is the arm the Pirates couldn’t quite unlock. Of course this is another reminder that development gaps matter.

Maybe nothing comes of it. Maybe this is just a minor league signing that stays exactly what it looks like on paper. But Pirates fans have learned not to trust paper — especially when the Dodgers are involved. Sometimes the smallest moves are the ones that haunt you the most.