The Pirates made a few moves during yesterday’s session at the Winter Meetings in Nashville. The biggest one of all was acquiring left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales and cash from Atlanta in exchange for a player to be named later.
Gonzales was 4-1 with a 5.22 ERA in 10 games with Seattle last season before suffering a nerve injury in his left forearm that required surgery. His best season came in 2019, when he went 16-13 with a 3.99 ERA in a career-high 34 starts. He was traded to Atlanta two days ago in a mega deal with Seattle that included outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic and first baseman Evan White.
The team also reportedly signed RHP Ben Heller to a minor league deal. He appeared in 19 games with Atlanta last year and posted a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 innings. Prior to that, he spent parts of four seasons with the Yankees before dealing with a series of injuries between 2018 and 2022.
General Manager Ben Cherington told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hours before the moves that the Pirates are looking to increase payroll this season. The team was at $73 million last season.
The MLB Draft Lottery also took place last night and the Pirates will pick ninth in this year’s draft. Cleveland and Cincinnati claimed the top two spots, respectively. Meanwhile, the teams with the highest chances were called earlier than they hoped. Colorado drew the third overall pick, Oakland the fourth pick, and Kansas City drew the sixth pick.
All three had a 18.3 percent chance of landing the top pick.
The Winter Meetings continue today with the Rule 5 Draft at 2 p.m.
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