Pirates fans might flip out if recently DFA'd player finds role with Dodgers after claim

When the Pittsburgh Pirates designated Jack Suwinski for assignment last week, they essentially handed him to the one organization in baseball that specializes in turning discarded players into October heroes: the defending, back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

On paper, the Pirates’ decision made sense. Suwinski simply ran out of runway in Pittsburgh. After a breakout 2023 season that featured 26 home runs and legitimate middle-of-the-order power, the outfielder spent the last two years fighting an uphill battle against swing-and-miss issues that never fully went away. His strikeout rate hovered north of 30 percent throughout his Major League career, and when the home runs disappeared, so did the production.

But baseball logic rarely protects a fan base from emotional fallout — especially when the Dodgers are involved. The defending champs are known to take projects like Suwinski and refine their swings, tweak their mechanics, and redesign their approaches using data and technology most organizations are still chasing. And more often than not, players who looked finished elsewhere suddenly look dangerous again under Dodger blue lights.

That’s the nightmare scenario Pirates fans immediately imagined when Suwinski got claimed off waivers. What happens if the Dodgers unlock something Pittsburgh couldn’t?

Former Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski could be Dodgers' next reclamation project

If the strikeouts go down and the power comes back, it's not hard to imagine Suwinski carving out a platoon role against right-handed pitching with a perennial contender . If he does, Pirates fans may not forgive it easily.

The organization has spent years asking supporters for patience during a rebuild built on development and internal growth. Watching a former Pirate immediately thrive for baseball’s richest and most analytically advanced powerhouse would feel like confirmation of a long-standing fear — that the Pirates develop talent just well enough for someone else to finish the job.

To be fair, Suwinski’s flaws are real. High strikeout hitters carry razor-thin margins for error. Pitchers exposed holes in his swing, particularly against elevated velocity and breaking balls away. The Pirates gave him extended opportunities across multiple seasons to make adjustments. At some point, a team has to choose roster flexibility over upside.

Still, context matters. The Dodgers aren’t rebuilding. They don’t need Suwinski to become a star; they just need him to become useful. And if October arrives and a former DFA casualty suddenly launches a postseason home run wearing Dodger blue, the reaction back in Pittsburgh won’t be subtle. It will be loud, it will be emotional, and — fairly or not — it will be another chapter in a narrative Pirates fans desperately want to believe is finally changing.

For now, the move remains nothing more than a waiver claim. But if the Dodgers turn Jack Suwinski into their next reclamation success story? Don’t be surprised if the fallout travels all the way back to the Allegheny River.