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Pirates Announce Lonnie Chisenhall Signing; Alex McRae Designated for Assignment

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The Pittsburgh Pirates made the signing of outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall official on Tuesday morning. Details for the Chisenhall deal can be found in the link just above. It’s a one-year deal, which according to Ken Rosenthal, is worth $2.75 M, with incentives that could bring it to $5.75 M. The Pirates also announced that right-handed pitcher Alex McRae has been designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Neal Huntington had this to say in the press release about Chisenhall:

“Lonnie Chisenhall adds an experienced, productive and versatile player to our Major League team. When healthy, Lonnie has been a quality hitter while offering defensive flexibility. He also provides us an immediate option in right field while Gregory Polanco is getting healthy and his abilities and versatility will make our club better once Polanco returns.”

McRae spent most of 2018 in Indianapolis, where he had a 4.77 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP in 117 innings. He made two relief appearances for the Pirates this year, which is the only big league experience for the 25-year-old. Assuming he clears waivers, he will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, though if a team really wanted him, they would pay the smaller waiver fee now and not be required to keep him on the MLB roster.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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