Pirates reunite with pitcher on minor-league contract to kickstart offseason

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten a head start on their offseason by agreeing to terms with right handed reliever Yohan Ramirez on a minor league contract. Ramirez pitched in Pittsburgh during the 2023 season, but he was designated for assignment and finished out the year with the Chicago White Sox.

In 2024, Ramirez played for four different teams, but struggled to find success with any of them. He made appearances with the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox. More than half of his innings came in Los Angeles, where he appeared in 27 games.

Across all four teams, Ramirez posted a 6.20 ERA in 45 innings pitched and had a WHIP of 1.47. Opposing hitters had an average of .274 against him, along with 45 strikeouts, and he had a FIP of 4.26.

Most of Ramirez's Statcast metrics were below average, but a few were excellent in 2024. His extension was in the 95th percentile at 7.1%, his hard hit rate was in the 83rd percentile at 34.3%, and his barrel rate was in the 70th percentile at 6.7%.

Pirates reunite with Yohan Ramirez after letting him go in 2023.

Ramirez was a below average reliever last season, but the Pirates see something in him like they did a year ago. He pitched for Pittsburgh in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. In that short time with the team, he posted a 3.67 ERA with a WHIP of 1.35 in just 61.1 innings pitched.

Ramirez's sinker has a very impressive horizontal break at 17.1 inches, and it was a pitch he utilized heavily when he was with the Pirates. His sweeper also has great vertical drop of 38.2 inches and horizontal break of 17.9 inches.

The Pirates have begun to build up their reliever depth as they look to get their bullpen back to their dominant ways after a poor 2024 showing. Ramirez has no spot on the big league roster, but he will likely be kept in Triple-A Indianapolis as a future call-up if injuries build up on the Pirates.

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