Dario Agrazal was one of four players the Pirates designated for assignment Wednesday to make room for the five players the Pirates wanted to protect from the Rule 5 draft.
Infielders Ke'Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz and Will Craig were added to the 40-man roster, as were right-handed pitchers Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce.
Wednesday was the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft, which will take place Dec. 12 at the winter meetings in San Diego.
Agrazal and fellow pitchers Montana DuRapau, Luis Escobar and Williams Jerez were designated for assignment, removing them from the roster.
Agrazal, 24, was never considered a top prospect for the Pirates, but he steadily climbed through the system and reached the majors in 2019. He went 4-5 with a 4.91 ERA and 0.6 WAR in 15 appearances, 14 of which were starts.
For a team hungry for starting pitching, Agrazal was the second notable starter who was removed from the 40-man this month. The other was their minor league pitcher of the year James Marvel, who was outrighted on Nov. 4.
The additions of Hayes and Cruz were expected since they are the Pirates two best position player prospects. Hayes, 22, played all of 2019 in Indianapolis and will almost certainly make his MLB debut at some point in 2020. Cruz, 21, played 35 games for Altoona in his first taste of Double-A baseball in 2019.
Craig, 25, won a minor league gold glove at first base in 2019, but had a below average season at the plate. However, the 2016 first-round draft pick had hit at every other stop in the Pirates farm system, including a 102 RBI season for Altoona in 2018.
Ponce, 25, was the only player the Pirates got back at the trade deadline, coming over in the Jordan Lyles deal. The big right-hander had found success as a reliever with the Brewers, getting both ground balls and whiffs. He was moved back to the rotation after the deal, where he struggled in five appearances in the Pirates farm system. Four of those starts were with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Cederlind, 23, was the Curve's relief ace this season, recording a 1.77 ERA over 31 appearances. He was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis late in August. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and has flirted with 100 mph.
Escobar, 23, entered the year as the Pirates' 11th best prospect, according to Baseball America. MLB Pipeline currently has him ranked at 14th. He recorded a 4.09 ERA in 55 innings in Triple-A, mostly as a reliever. He also pitched 5.2 innings in the majors, where he allowed 5 runs.
DuRapau, 27, bounced between Triple-A and the majors in 2019, where he excelled with Indianapolis and floundered with Pittsburgh. Jerez was a September waiver claim.
The roster is now full at 40 players.
