The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed right-handed pitcher Aaron Slegers off waivers on Friday afternoon and they have designated right-handed pitcher Dario Agrazal for assignment. The 26-year-old Slegers stands 6’10”, 245 pounds and has pitched parts of the last two seasons with the Minnesota Twins. More on this move shortly.
The Pirates today claimed right-handed pitcher Aaron Slegers off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.
To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Dario Agrazal has been designated for assignment.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) January 11, 2019
With a full 40-man roster, Agrazal seemed the most likely to be designated for assignment the next time that the Pirates needed a roster spot. He has had three injuries since the middle of 2017, each causing him to miss significant time. During the Arizona Fall League, he left after one start due to a back injury and his velocity had lost about 5-6 MPH. He should have no problem clearing waivers due to those issues, plus (as an added strike) he should be in Double-A to begin 2019, already with one option year used up.
Slegers gives the Pirates a relatively young, very tall right-handed pitcher, with previous MLB experience. He was a fifth round draft pick of the Twins in 2013 and made his big league debut in August of 2017. He posted a 6.46 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 15.1 innings over three starts and one relief appearance in his first season. That was followed up by a 5.27 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 13.2 big league appearances in 2018, making two starts and two relief outings. In his brief time in the majors, he has shown solid control, albeit with a very low (4.7 SO/9IP) strikeout rate.
Slegers has never been a top prospect in the Minnesota system according to Baseball America. He has always shown solid control and decent results, but his strikeout rate has been low from the start, limiting his upside. He has a low-90s fastball, along with a changeup and a slider.
Slegers has two options remaining.
