Could Miguel Andujar be the one?
The Pirates under Ben Cherington have had next to no luck -- or skill -- at making waiver claims, though they've seemingly made them on on almost weekly basis for three years now, including plucking Andujar, a third baseman and left fielder who'd been with the Yankees since 2017, early Sunday evening.
Andujar, 27, slashed .273/.303/.449 with 35 home runs and 122 RBIs spanning his six seasons in the Bronx, which seems promising on its surface. But 606 of his 990 big-league plate appearances came in 2018, when he finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting after slashing .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 92 RBIs. Stardom would've been forecast for him anywhere, but the always-hyperbolic New York media multiplied that many times over.
A shoulder injury slowed Andujar the following season, and he never again topped 45 games in a season at the top level. This season, in 100 plate appearances, he's slashed .229/.250/.291 with one home run and eight RBIs. That prompted the Yankees to designate him for assignment Thursday.
Andujar fills out the 40-man roster, and he'll join the 25-man in time for the Monday night game against the Reds at PNC Park, which'll require a corresponding move.
On the bright side, all things being relative, of the Pirates' 18 players with a minimum 100 plate appearances in 2022, Andujar's .531 OPS would slot between 14th and 15th.