Pirates announce MLB, minor league rosters

Prior to the start of the regular season on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates released a full breakdown of their MLB and minor league rosters.

Surprises were few and far between on the MLB roster, as most fans pieced it together upon the conclusion of Spring Training. The minor leagues, however, shows lots of notable names at all levels.

MLB

After a few free agent signings, the Pirates’ main roster consists of 14 pitchers and 14 position players with plenty of names that fit the utility role.

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The roster includes two newcomers who were brought on from the free agent wire: catcher Andrew Knapp and outfielder Jake Marisnick.

Knapp was signed as a back-up for starter Roberto Perez on a one-year deal worth $800,000. To make room on the 40-man roster for him, pitcher Adonis Media was designated for assignment.

Marisnick will take the place of Greg Allen, who will most likely start the season on the injured list after suffering an injury in Spring Training. His deal is also good for one year and is worth $1.3 million.

For those keeping track at home, that brings the Pirates’ payroll to $45.67 million.

Other than that, the roster is just as everyone expected. Led by Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes with some help from J.T. Brubaker and Mitch Keller on the pitching side.

Minors

Below is the full minor league roster breakdown for the Pirates’ organization:

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While all levels gleam with excitement, Double-A Altoona seems to have the most intrigue. With two former first-round picks — Quinn Priester and Nick Gonzales — leading the charge, the Curve have a very high probability of winning the Eastern League championship this year.

Some other notable names on the Curve’s roster include: Matt Fraizer, Carter Bins, Kyle Nicolas, Tahnaj Thomas and Bear Bellomy.

In Triple-A, Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras look to repeat their performances from last year in hopes of solidifying a spot on the Pirates’ main roster later, or perhaps earlier, in the season.

It’s also a make-or-break year for two players in Triple-A: Mason Martin and Cody Bolton.

Bolton hasn’t pitched since 2019, but looked sharp in the Indians’ inaugural game. Martin, among others, returns thanks to the cancelation of the Rule 5 draft, and if he can reduce his strikeout rate, he might have a chance to make it to the MLB.

Some other notable names on the Indians’ roster include: Canaan Smith-Njigba, Cal Mitchell, Travis Swaggerty, Rodolfo Castro and Trey McGough.

There are too many names to highlights in the Single-A’s, but most, if not all, of them carry intrigue. Most notably Henry Davis, who will start in High-A Greensboro.

With Davis’s instant promotion from the FCL to High-A last season, Davis has a strong chance to make it to Double-A, or even Triple-A, this season.

In conclusion, expect lots of roster shake-ups this season.