The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have added right-handed pitcher Max Kranick and infielder Rodolfo Castro to the 40-man roster ahead of next month’s Rule 5 Draft. To make room on the roster, right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams and IF/OF Jose Osuna have both been designated for assignment. More on this news shortly.
We have made the following 40-man roster moves:
Rodolfo Castro (INF) and Max Kranick (RHP) have been selected to the 40-man roster.
Trevor Williams and José Osuna have been designated for assignment. pic.twitter.com/g1fMQ7kWdn
— Pirates (@Pirates) November 20, 2020
Both Kranick and Castro were at the Alternative Training Site in Altoona during the 2020 season. They both played with Bradenton in 2019 and Kranick was scheduled to start the season at Altoona in 2020 before the shutdown. Over the off-season he showed improved velocity, hitting 98.7 MPH in a bullpen session. He continued showing improved velocity throughout this summer, while working on his changeup and a new breaking ball. Castro has upside as a young second baseman with power, though he is still a bit of a free swinger at the plate with low walk/semi-high strikeout totals. He will still be 21 years old when the 2021 season opens (yes, I know, just go with it). Kranick turned 23 in July.
Williams would have been second-year arbitration eligible this off-season, so it’s no surprise that the Pirates (or anyone else really) parted ways after his performances in the last two years. He had a 5.38 ERA and a 5.12 FIP in 145.2 innings over 26 starts in 2019. In 2020, he had a 6.18 ERA and a 6.30 FIP in 11 starts. Williams pitched well in 2018 with a 3.11 ERA in 170.2 innings. His overall numbers show a 4.43 ERA/4.57 FIP in 4+ seasons.
Osuna turns 28 next month and he’s coming off of a .205/.244/.397 season in 2020. He had a .766 OPS in 95 games in 2019, which is the best season of his four years in the majors. In 276 games, he has a .241/.280/.430 slash line. He has a -1.1 WAR in four years, with his 0.0 WAR in 2018 being his best output.
