Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Players Who Likely Will Not Survive the Offseason With a 40-Man Roster Spot

As the offseason begins to rev up, which players currently on the Pittsburgh Pirates 40-man roster are in danger of losing their roster spots?

It has been a quiet offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates thus far. They have made one minor league signing, while adding two prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, and have lost a few members of their 2023 team to minor league deals elsewhere after they were taken off the 40-man roster.

Currently, the Pirate 40-man roster sits at 37 players. Even though there are currently three open spots, odds are, room will still need to be created on the 40-man roster at some point this offseason. Well, with the amount of holes the team has you at least hope they make enough additions that 40-man roster moves will still need to be made.

So, which players currently on the Pirate 40-man roster could be in danger of losing their roster spot this offseason? These three players certainly seem to be in danger of being taken off the 40-man roster.

Outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba

Acquired from the New York Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade, outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba was once viewed as a potential future every day player for the Pirates. Unfortunately, that has not worked out and now his spot on the 40-man roster could be in jeopardy.

Smith-Njigba made his MLB debut in 2022, but was limited to just 7 PAs before a wrist injury ended his season. After a strong showing in the spring, Smith-Njigba started the 2023 season the Pirate roster. However, after hitting for just a .125/.216/.219 slash line with a 17 wRC+ and a 43.2% strikeout rate in 37 PAs he was optioned back to the minors.

After being optioned back to Triple-A at the end of April, he would only return to the majors once the rest of the season. He did not record a single PA in his return to the majors, though. The fact he did not record a PA in that trip to the majors and then did not return to the majors last season is likely pretty telling of how the Pirates view Smith-Njigba at this point.

It is hard to envision Smith-Njigba having any sort of future in Pittsburgh. He is behind Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski, Henry Davis, Connor Joe, and Joshua Palacios on the outfield depth chart and there are other outfielders coming behind him. The Pirates may also add more outfield depth this offseason. To be honest, it might be a surprise to see Smith-Njigba remain on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason.

Pitcher Max Kranick

At one point, Max Kranick looked like a potential promising pitching prospect for the Pirates. This included Kranick firing 5 perfect innings agaisnt the St. Louis Cardinals in his MLB debut on June 21st, 2021, before a rain delay ended his day.

Kranick went on to pitch 38.2 MLB innings across 9 starts in 2021, struggling to the tune of a 6.28 ERA and a 4.64 FIP. Then in 2022, Kranick pitched 5 scoreless innings in 2 relief appearances for the Pirates. Things then came to a screeching halt for Kranick as the need for Tommy John surgery ended his 2022 season.

Due to his Tommy John surgery, Kranick made just 9 minor league starts in 2023 pitching 20.2 innings. Kranick posted a 4.35 ERA and 4.98 FIP while walking 11.3% of batters faced and striking out 17.5% of opposing batters in his minor league work last season.

Kranick is now 26-years-old. Factor in his injury issues and the questions that may exist about his place with the organization moving forward, and it would not be a surprise to see him get taken off the 40-man roster this offseason.