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Free reliever alert! Rays DFA Dane De La Rosa

Dane De La Rosa might be worth a shot as a free-talent acquisition for the Pirates.

J. Meric

The Rays have designated reliever Dane De La Rosa for assignment in order to clear roster space for Luke Scott. The Pirates have a few open spots in their bullpen, and De La Rosa might well be worth a waiver claim. He turned 30 last week, so he's not a prospect, but he's got size (6'7, 245 pounds) and stuff (he can get into the mid-90s), and his minor-league numbers certainly are interesting -- he's struck out more than a batter an inning all of the last three seasons, and last year, he whiffed 87 batters in 67.2 innings at Triple A.

He also walked far more batters than he should have, with 42 walks in those 67.2 innings (although he's posted better walk numbers in the past), and it looks like he might not be the best clubhouse influence, having apparently said something that caused teammate Sean Rodriguez to punch a locker, breaking his hand. And if a smart team like the Rays couldn't find a spot for De La Rosa, maybe he just isn't major-league-caliber talent. But given the uncertainty in the Pirates' bullpen, De La Rosa appears to be worth considering.