Pirates sign roller coaster ex-Nats reliever to bounce back contract

The Pirates have yet to make a major league transaction towards upgrading the team in Pittsburgh this winter, but they have made a handful of moves to add depth to the minor leagues. This effort has specifically been towards the pitching staff in the minor leagues and, on Saturday night, the Pirates made another move to add to that group.

Tanner Rainey, formerly a reliever for the Washington Nationals, signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates. Rainey has pitched with the big-league Nationals since 2019, but his control issues made him a free agent. Let's take a look at what the Pirates are getting with the signing of Rainey.

Pirates sign former Nationals reliever Tanner Rainey to minor-league deal

In his career, Rainey has only pitched two full seasons in the major leagues. Those came in 2019 and 2024, where he appeared in 50 games or more. In 2022, he was the closer for the Nationals, but he got surgery on his elbow to end that season. That impacted 2023, but he was full strength last season and could be an interesting rebound candidate in Triple-A.

Last season, Rainey posted an earned run average of 4.76 across 51 innings and struck out 44 batters. Opposing hitters batted .237 against him, and he walked opponents at a 12.6% clip. That built up a WHIP of 1.49.

Through Statcast metrics, Rainey was not very good in 2024. Some of the only positives are his whiff rate of 26%, his expected opposing batting average of .237, and the effectiveness of his non-fastball pitches. His slider produced a run value of two, and his changeup notched plus-one run value. All of these marks fell around the league's average.

Walking batters has been an issue throughout Rainey's entire career. His walk percentage is at 14.7%, which is very poor. If he cleans that up, he could make an impact on the Pirates in 2025, as he has been effective at preventing hits during his career. Opposing hitters have posted a batting average of just .219 against him.

Overall, this signing is just another low risk, high reward pick up. The Pirates' newest hire Brent Strom could help Rainey turn things around in Pittsburgh. He will compete for a spot in spring training, but he will likely begin next season in Triple-A.