The Pirates have signed right-handers Tanner Rainey and Hunter Stratton to minors offers, as respectively reported by Simply Baseball’s Aram Leighton (X hyperlink) and Stratton’s MLB.com profile web page. Rainey’s contract comprises an invite to the Pirates’ huge league spring camp, and it may be assumed that Stratton’s deal additionally has an invitation, although Stratton’s unsure well being scenario within the wake of knee surgical procedure may restrict his participation in Spring Coaching.
Rainey heads to Pittsburgh after a topsy-turvy six-year run with the Nationals, highlighted by a World Sequence ring in his first 12 months with the membership. Rainey delivered a 3.91 ERA and 34.6% strikeout in 48 1/3 reduction innings for that 2019 championship crew, but in addition had an unsightly 17.8% stroll charge. These management points plagued Rainey for many of his time in Washington, and he additionally missed nearly all the 2023 season whereas recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure.
After Rainey posted a 4.76 ERA, 19% strikeout charge, and 12.6% stroll charge over 51 innings in 2024, the Nationals unsurprisingly determined to non-tender the righty, though Rainey was projected for a modest $1.9MM arbitration wage. Now coming into his age-32 season, Rainey will look to rebuild himself within the Bucs’ spring camp, and hopefully regain a few of the kind and velocity that made him a priceless bullpen asset for the Nats in 2020 and 2022.
Stratton was additionally non-tendered by the Pirates in November, however there was an expectation that Pittsburgh would (simply as they did final offseason) re-sign the righty to a brand new minor league deal. Stratton has a powerful 3.26 ERA and 4.9% stroll charge throughout 49 2/3 profession Main League innings, all with Pittsburgh during the last two seasons. Regardless of an absence of massive strikeout totals, Stratton’s capacity to induce smooth contact has made him an attention-grabbing reduction choice out of the Pirates’ bullpen.
Sadly for Stratton, his 2024 season was reduce quick by a flukish harm on August 24 that left him with a ruptured patellar tendon. Stratton was behind dwelling plate at PNC Park and pursuing a unfastened ball when he stumbled into the stone wall, inflicting the harm and placing his profession on maintain for an estimated 7-10 months. This fluid timeline implies that Stratton would return anyplace from Opening Day to late June, however the minor league contract provides him loads of time to totally get himself proper throughout Spring Coaching or within the Pirates’ farm system.
