The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed Yohan Ramirez to a minor league deal, bringing the right-handed pitcher back to the organization.
Ramirez was previously acquired in a minor deal with Cleveland in July 2022, and pitched for parts of two seasons in the Pirates’ bullpen. He combined for a 3.67 ERA in 61.1 innings, with a 52:27 K/BB. He was lost on waivers in September 2023 to the White Sox, and has bounced around with the Mets twice, the Orioles, the Dodgers, and the Red Sox since then.
In 2024, Ramirez pitched for all four of those teams in the Majors, combining for a 6.20 ERA in 45 innings, with a 45:17 K/BB. There was a time when he looked like a guy who could be a sleeper middle reliever in the Majors for the Pirates. At this point, Ramirez looks like a sleeper out of Triple-A, with the hope that he gets back to his 2020-2023 results.
During those first four seasons, Ramirez had a 3.99 ERA in 124 innings, with a 128:69 K/BB. This included his time with the Pirates, as well as his MLB debut with Seattle. Those performances also came in his age 25-28 seasons. Entering his age 30 season, Ramirez will get a chance with Indianapolis to show he can still produce at that level.
Ramirez is the first free agent signed by the Pirates this offseason.
