Pirates losing recently-claimed reliever to Reds could annoyingly affect playoff race

It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for Ron Marinaccio, whom the Pirates acquired from the Padres on July 23 before DFA’ing him and seeing him go to the division-rival Reds on Aug. 6. The right-handed reliever lasted just four games with Pittsburgh, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings. His Pirates finale came against what would become his next big-league stop, Cincinnati, in a series that shifted the momentum of the entire NL Central.

When Marinaccio took the mound against the Reds on Aug. 2, the Pirates were already trailing, 7-1, and had dropped two of three against Cincinnati, going 6-9 since the All-Star break. Pittsburgh was clinging to playoff hopes, sitting 3 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, Cincinnati was staring up from the division’s cellar. It’s possible, when all is said and done, that the blowout that the Pirates ultimately lost, 10-2, could be the final blow to Pittsburgh’s dream season. Marinaccio going to the Reds less than a week later just adds insult to injury.

Short-lived Pirates reliever Ron Marinaccio being claimed by the Reds encapsulates a momentum shift in the NL Central.

Let’s be clear. Marinaccio himself isn’t going to do much to sway either team closer or further away from the playoffs. He has a -6 run value and is mired in the worst season of his career. It’s the timing and the circumstance that could have a greater impact on the Pirates and Reds. At the trade deadline, Pittsburgh completely revamped its bullpen in hopes of making a postseason push. The Reds mostly stood pat despite a disappointing year overall. In less than a week, the teams’ fortunes have reversed, and Pittsburgh looks like a deadline loser while the Reds seem like geniuses.

Not only does the move call attention to the disparate paths that the Pirates and Reds are travelling, it could have a long-term impact on the division if Marinaccio turns things around. He’s on a pre-arbitration contract, meaning he could be with the Reds for three more seasons before hitting free agency. He’s out of options, so he would have to stay on Cincinnati’s big-league roster. If that’s the case, Pittsburgh may have to step into the box against the very embodiment of what could be a second-half collapse.

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