SAN DIEGO -- Despite leaving some highly ranked prospects up for grabs in the Rule 5 Draft Wednesday, the Pirates ended up losing just one player in the major-league portion, catcher/outfielder Blake Sabol, and they wound up taking a player, too, in left-hander Jose Hernandez.
They did pay for not using all of their available Class AAA roster spots in the minor-league portion of the draft, losing 11 players, but they were able to hang onto prospects like first baseman Malcom Nunez, outfielder Matt Gorski and right-handers Cody Bolton and Tahnaj Thomas despite not putting them on the 40-man roster last month.
"When we got through the major-league phase, I felt relatively good," Ben Cherington said. "Then, the minor-league phases started and the numbers piled up. We didn’t know. We anticipated we might lose a player in the major-league phase and possibly more than that, and so I guess the fact that we only lost one is a decent outcome there."
Hernandez, 24, went 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 59 2/3 innings for the Dodgers' high Class A and AA affiliates in 2022. The 6'3", 205 southpaw is a reliever by trade, and will get an opportunity to earn a roster spot with the Pirates.
"We've been interested in adding left-handed pitching," Cherington said. "[He's] really athletic. Someone our scouts spent time with this year. Really good athlete who we have seen progress from over the last several years, then even this year, the second half of the season he saw an uptick in velocity as he got into August and September, getting up to 100 mph. It’s a big fastball and good slider from the left side. Enough strikes that we feel we can give him a chance to compete for a job in the bullpen in spring training. We’ll get to know him better then."
In a scouting report sent from an analyst, Hernandez sits about 96 mph with his plus fastball (Cherington noted he ramped his velocity up to close to triple-digits later this season) with an OK slider that doesn't have a ton of depth or get a lot of sweep. He also mixes in a poor changeup, though Cherington referred to him as a fastball-slider first pitcher.
On Tuesday, the Pirates came to terms with left-hander Jarlín García on a one-year deal. Assuming García passes his physical, they will be the only two left-handers on the pitching staff.
Sabol, 24, enjoyed what looked like a breakout season in Class AA Altoona this year. The catcher/outfielder hit .284 with 19 home runs and an .860 OPS for the Curve and Class AAA Indianapolis, and was selected fourth overall by the Reds. He was traded shortly after to the Giants, who now take on the Rule 5 obligation.
The Pirates have a pair of promising catcher prospects on the horizon for 2023 -- Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis -- but that wasn't a major factor for why Sabol was left off of the roster.
"It was more about just assessing who was on our 40-man, other things we want to do this offseason. Once you add someone, obviously that spot is kind of locked up for some period of time. We’re trying to balance that with things we want to do while keeping some flexibility. It was a judgement call on him and others. We knew there was a chance he would be selected. Sure enough he was.
"I got a chance to talk to Blake and thanked him, wished him well, and we’ll root for him.
Players taken in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft must spend the entire season with their new club, including at least 90 active days. Once they are, they can be optioned to the minors by their new team. If those requirements are not met, that player must be designated for assignment or offered back to the team that drafted them.
There are no such restrictions for the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Teams can protect up to 38 eligible players on their Class AAA roster, but the Pirates opted not to use all of those spots because they are anticipating signing minor-league free agents and they may need to place players who clear waivers on that roster.
As a result, the Pirates lost 11 players, the most of any team. They were: Right-hander Joelvis Del Rosario (Athletics), right-hander Austin Roberts (Marlins), left-hander Joe Jacques (Red Sox), outfielder Jared Oliva (Angels), right-hander Wilkin Ramos (Mets), right-hander Dominigo Gonzalez (Braves), right-hander Trey McGough (Orioles), right-hander Emanuel Mejia (Rays), right-hander Cristan Charle (Marlins), right-hander Peter Solomon, (Diamondbacks) and infielder Yoyner Fajardo (Twins).
None of those players were considered top prospects, and players taken in the minor-league portion rarely pan out.
"I do think it’s also some signal that our pitching development is turning into gains on the field," Cherington said about the number of pitchers taken in that portion of the draft. "Teams can see that."
In the minor-league portion, the Pirates selected right-hander Wei-Chien Huang from the Giants -- a right-hander with an intriguing changeup, per a report -- and outfielder Josh Palacios, who has had major league cameos with the Nationals.
The Pirates tried to take a Rays shortstop, Johan Lopez, as well, but he was ineligible because he is currently on the restricted list because of a steroid suspension. The team knew about the suspension, not the rule that he was ineligible to be selected.
With the addition of Hernandez, the Pirates' roster is currently at 39 with two free-agent deals -- García and Vince Velasquez -- waiting to be finalized once they pass a physical.
With the conclusion of the draft, the Winter Meetings also came to a close.
"We feel good about the progress," Cherington said. "Nothing’s changed as far as things we still want to do and still are working on. Got a little more information on all of that this week. Not anticipating anything more happens tonight or anything necessarily, but we’ll get out of here tomorrow and keep working on it. Feel good that we’re making progress."
