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Pittsburgh Pirates: Players Most Likely to Come Off the 40-Man Roster Before Opening Day
The Pittsburgh Pirates will have at least one 40-man roster move to make before Opening Day. Which players could be in danger of losing their spot?
Roster moves are a big part of spring training every season. Each team, the Pittsburgh Pirates included, are faced with roster decisions throughout the spring as they forge toward Opening Day each year.
This season, the Pittsburgh Pirates will need to make at least one 40-man roster move before Opening Day. Currently, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster along with Austin Hedges is highly touted prospect Endy Rodriguez who the organization has already stated will start the season in the minors. Due to this, a move will be needed to add a backup catcher, likely Tyler Heineman or Kevin Plawecki, to the 40-man roster.
There could be other 40-man roster moves as well. The team may need to create a spot for a backup middle infielder such as veteran Chris Owings. There could also be other additions between now and Opening Day as other organizations DFA players that could require a roster move.
So, which players could be taken off the 40-man roster to create room? As we will get into, an outfielder has to be nearly a lock to come off the roster due to the amount of outfielders currently on the 40-man roster. A releif pitcher will likely be in the discussion as well. Now, let's dive in.
Outfielder Ryan Vilade
Don't worry, it's ok to admit you either did not realize or forgot that Ryan Vilade is even on the Pirate 40-man roster. The 24-year-old outfielder was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on November 9th after he was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies.
The right-handed hitting outfielder has seemingly been the frontrunner to be taken off the 40-man roster with each addition the Pirates made this offseason. However, here we are, a week into spring training and Vilade remains on the 40-man roster.
Vilade made his MLB debut with the Rockies in September of 2021. He had 7 plate appearances with the Rockies, going 0-for-6 with a walk and a strikeout. He then spent the entire 2022 season at the Triple-A level.
With the Albuquerque Isotopes last season Vilade had 430 PAs in 99 games played. Vilade hit for a .249/.345/.352 slash line and a wRC+ of just 80 with the Isotopes. However, he did walk at a 12.1% rate while striking out at just a 16.0% clip.
Again, it is a bit of a surprise that Vilade has made it this long remaining on the team's 40-man roster. Whenever the Pirates go to clear a 40-man roster spot or two before Opening Day, Vilade's name has to be at the top of the list of players likely to be DFA'd.
Outfielder Travis Swaggerty
Another outfielder on the list is former first-round pick Travis Swaggerty. A top 10 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Swaggerty once looked like the center fielder of the future for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and potentially a Gold Glove winner.
Unfortunately for Swaggerty, things have not gone according to plan during his professional career. The main driving force behind his career failing to reach the heights that he and the Pirates had hoped for have been injuries.
The way the Pirates handled Swaggerty last season made it clear that this front office does not see a long-term future in Pittsburgh for Swaggerty. Remember, this is not the front office that drafted Swaggerty.
Swaggerty made his MLB debut last season but was never given a real look by the Pirates. He had just 9 MLB PAs, picking up an infield hit while striking out four times and failing to draw a walk. He was then quickly optioned to Triple-A and never returned to the majors.
Vialde could be kept around due to being a right-handed hitter, something the Pirates lack, especially in the outfield. This could lead to Swaggerty being on the copping block when it comes time to create 40-man roster spots.
Relief pitcher Chase De Jong
Having Chase De Jong on this list may seem like an odd addition. After all, he is coming off the best season of his career in 2022. That said, there are reasons to believe his performance is not sustainable which could leave him without a roster spot.
De Jong posted a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings in 42 relief appearances. However, he walked 10.2% of batters faced and allowed home runs a 1.26 HR/9 rate. De Jong also benefitted greatly from a .222 batting average on balls in play, which is an unsustainably low level.
Part of the reason that De Jong is on this list is due to him being out of minor league options. This means that De Jong can not start the season in the minor leagues without first being designated for assignment and clearing waivers. This could also contribute to him being a candidate to be taken off the 40-man roster.
Relief pitcher Duane Underwood Jr.
Like De Jong, Duane Underwood Jr. is a relief pitcher who is out of minor league options. This could put Underwood Jr. in a tough spot in terms of a 40-man roster spot. However, he likely has higher odds than De Jong does of cracking the Opening Day roster.
While De Jong had a better ERA than Underwood Jr. last season, Underwood Jr. has the far superior stuff between the two pitchers. Due to this, Underwood Jr. also has the far superior ceiling between the two.
There are plenty of reasons to still be intrigued by the right arm of Underwood Jr. Due to this, he will likely head north with the team to Cincinnati for Opening Day but that is not a given. Since it is not a given, he is in the discussion here.
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