Pittsburgh

Pirates

Solak, who hit .262/.327/.372 in 253 games for the Rangers from 2019-22, spent last season with the Mariners’ Triple-A club and batted .311/.406/.446, though that never got him a callup. He’s no longer much of an option at second base, and the bat probably isn’t there to make him very useful as a corner outfielder.

It’s been a busy day for Horwitz, who heads to Pittsburgh following his inclusion in a multi-player swap with the Guardians. The widely-held assumption here is that the Pirates have their first baseman of the future. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers across 381 plate appearances in 97 contests last year for the Blue Jays in his first extended opportunity at the highest level. Given the lack of quality options at the cold corner for fantasy purposes, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were borderline mixed league-relevant next season playing everyday for the Pirates.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds the Guardians are getting left-handed pitching prospect Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, in addition to big-league righty Luis Ortiz in the deal. Technically, Horwitz hasn’t been officially traded to the Guardians yet. However, once that deal is announced, he’s going to be on the move again, this time to Pittsburgh. No word yet on the return from the Pirates. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, figures to take over as Pittsburgh’s primary first baseman, unless they make some additional moves in the lead up to spring training.

It’ll be a split contract for Alvarado, who will join Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster, after posting an encouraging 2.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 74/40 K/BB ratio across 50 2/3 innings (41 appearances) last year between Single-A Jupiter and Triple-A Jacksonville in the Marlins’ system. The 25-year-old righty could factor into the Pirates’ relief mix at some point next season.

The ping pong balls came through for the Nationals as they secure the top selection in next year’s MLB Draft after having just 10 percent odds of landing the first overall pick. Washington hasn’t picked first overall since taking Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) in consecutive seasons. Oklahoma prep shortstop Ethan Holliday — son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday and brother of Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday — and Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette are among the top candidates for the first-overall selection next year. The biggest movers were the Mariners, who went from the second-lowest odds at less than one percent, jumping all the way to the third pick. The Marlins, who came into the lottery tied with the Rockies for the best odds to secure the first pick, fell all the way to seventh. Here are the complete lottery results: (1) Nationals, (2) Angels, (3) Mariners, (4) Rockies, (5) Cardinals, (6) Pirates, (7) Marlins, (8) Blue Jays, (9) Reds, (10) White Sox, (11) Athletics, (12) Rangers, (13) Giants, (14) Rays, (15) Red Sox, (16) Twins, (17) Cubs, (18) Diamondbacks.

Rainey was non-tendered last month by the Nationals after compiling a pedestrian 4.76 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 44/29 K/BB ratio across 51 innings (50 appearances) last year. It’s worth noting that he was much better down the home stretch, so the Pirates are going to roll the dice on the 31-year-old righty and give him a chance to compete in spring training for a spot in their season-opening bullpen.

Stratton returns to Pittsburgh as extra organizational relief depth just a few weeks after being non-tendered. The 28-year-old righty, who missed the final month of last year after suffering a ruptured left patella tendon, posted a solid 3.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 43/10 K/BB ratio across 49 2/3 innings (44 appearances) over the past two seasons for Pittsburgh.

Rainey was non-tendered by the Nationals last month even though he posted a 2.48 ERA in his final 29 appearances of the season. Overall, he had a 4.76 ERA over 51 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. He’ll stand a decent chance of winning a spot in Pittsburgh’s pen.

The 29-year-old noted that the Pirates are building something special in Pittsburgh and that he wants to be a part of it. Mattson appeared in three big league contests with the Pirates in 2024, registering a 5.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB ratio across 5 1/3 innings. He’ll continue to function as extra bullpen depth.

There was more than one team interested in Cruz when the Pirates got him from the Marlins at the deadline, but no team was looking to trade for him now after he hit just .200/.220/.294 in 44 games for Pittsburgh. There’s still some promise in De La Cruz’s bat, but through 475 major league games, he’s sporting a 90 OPS+, and he’s a bit of a liability in an outfield corner. If he wants to remain a starter, it’ll probably have to be with a non-contender. The Pirates still have Jack Suwinski as an option, but they will surely be in the market for someone to join Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz in their outfield.