Pirates grab another reclamation reject off waivers

The Pirates are technically making trade-deadline moves now, if you can call this one a trade. Pittsburgh acquired outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez from the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations, per MLB Trade Rumors, kicking off deadline season with the baseball equivalent of a Craigslist pickup.

MLB Trade Rumors

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Pirates Acquire Johnathan Rodríguez t.co/MF2KR3x3Vf

This isn't exactly a blockbuster. Rodríguez was designated for assignment by Baltimore last week after hitting.182 with 2 RBIs in 7 games following a midseason trade from Cleveland. Across parts of 3 big-league seasons with the Guardians and Orioles, he's a.177/.288/.301 hitter in 132 plate appearances — numbers that explain why he's changed organizations twice in a matter of weeks.

The appeal isn't the big-league track record, it's what he's done at Triple-A: a.295/.386/.508 line over 1,337 plate appearances, the kind of gaudy minor league production that keeps getting teams to take fliers on him. Scouting reports pin the disconnect on his struggles against spin — big-league pitchers exploit it, Triple-A arms mostly can't.

True to form, Pittsburgh didn't even keep him on the active roster. Rodríguez was optioned straight to Triple-A Indianapolis, while the Pirates used the corresponding move to reinstate catcher Endy Rodríguez from the injured list and DFA catcher Shawn Ross. Translation: this was a paperwork transaction dressed up as a trade, with a legitimate prospect evaluation buried inside it.

For a Pirates front office that's spent years mining the scrap heap for reclamation projects, adding a 26-year-old with real Triple-A pop and a fixable weakness costs nothing and risks nothing. Whether Rodríguez ever solves the spin problem is a question for Indianapolis, not PNC Park — but with the deadline approaching, expect more of these low-cost, no-name additions before Pittsburgh makes any real noise.