The MLB offseason started in earnest on Thursday with the official beginning of free agency at 5 p.m. ET. Shortly after 5 p.m., the Pittsburgh Pirates announced a flurry of roster moves.
The Pirates reinstated RHPs Dugan Darnell and Jared Jones, C/1B Endy Rodríguez, OF Ronny Simon and INF Enmanuel Valdez from the 60-day injured list. Darnell and RHP Michael Darrell-Hicks were designated for assignment.
INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, and pitcher Jack Little was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers.
INF Liover Peguero cleared waivers and had his contract assigned outright to Triple-A Indianapolis. He is now a Minor League free agent.
There are now 38 players on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster following these transactions, giving the front office flexibility to make some moves and bring in some talent this offseason.
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While these were mostly minor housekeeping moves by the Pirates, they help prepare the roster for what could be a critical offseason. Coming off its seventh straight losing season and 10th year in a row without a playoff berth, Pittsburgh needs to be more aggressive this winter and make significant changes to the roster if it wants to contend next season.
The focus needs to be on offense, as the Pirates ranked last in MLB in scoring this year. While their pitching staff is already in great shape, they must emphasize giving their hurlers more run support.
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