Just because it’s after the trade deadline — and the Pirates have rotated through a heap of players this season — doesn’t mean they’re done shopping around.
On Sunday, the Pirates agreed to terms with slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo on an MLB deal, sources tell the Post-Gazette. The Pirates designated outfielder Ka’ai Tom for assignment Monday afternoon, likely clearing the way for Tsutsugo to join the 40-man roster, though the signing has not been made official by the team yet.
Tsutsugo has had an interesting road to this point. The utility man, who has played both corner infield spots and in left field in his career, was a highly-coveted power hitter in Japan. In 2016, as a 24-year-old with the Yokohama Bay Stars, he mashed 44 homers, then followed that up with 28, 38 and 29 homer seasons over the next three years. Since 2014, his lowest OPS in a season with Yokohama was .900.
That drew attention from MLB teams, and he eventually signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on a two-year, $12 million deal in December 2019. He never caught on against MLB pitching, though. In 2020, he slashed .197/.314/.395 in 51 games during the COVID-19-shortened season. He did hit eight home runs, which was tied for the second-most long balls on the team.
In 26 games with the Rays this year, the batting average was similarly rough, but the power also disappeared, so the teams parted ways. Tsutsugo cleared waivers and was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations.
The Dodgers gave Tsutsugo a chance, too, but he struggled for them in 12 games, slashing .120/.290/.120. He was then sent to the injured list with a calf strain, later clearing waivers and ending up in Class AAA Oklahoma City. There, things did perk up for him. He hit .257 with 10 homers in 43 games. But just last week, the Dodgers released him, setting him up as a free agent.
Now, it seems, the Pirates feel prepared to take a flyer on him. With how much he has struggled, it would be pretty surprising if they were bringing him in as a major league player and putting him on the 40-man roster right away. More than likely, he will head to Class AAA Indianapolis and work his way into the organization before any thought is given to a potential call-up down the road.
The signing actually fits in with a topic general manager Ben Cherington discussed Sunday morning on his weekly radio show with 93.7 The Fan. He was asked about acquiring talent and how, in many cases, it can be prudent to search for players that have that talent but have yet to take the extra leap at the major league level. In those cases, it’s possible to find a diamond in the rough, of sorts, even if the odds of doing so aren’t as high as they would be for a proven big league player.
“Sometimes there’s an opportunity to acquire a player who’s already reached that level, who’s already established that major league level, but that’s really hard to do,” Cherington said. “You’re either giving up a ton of talent to get that player, or you’re paying a ton of money in free agency. So the best path for us is going to be to find those players and help them reach that. Again, it could be through the draft, it could be international, it could be players we get in a trade. The development process is just as critical for that group of players, as is the evaluation and acquisition process. All of those things have to be working really well together.”
Cherington added that major league free agency is part of the rebuilding process, but emphasized that helping players reach a level they haven’t been to before is a major focus for the organization.
Tsutsugo could certainly use some help himself, given his MLB numbers to this point. The Pirates will now be the third team to try to help him do so.
Roster moves
Perhaps there will be more moves when the details of Tsutsugo’s signings are announced, but Cherington did unveil a few of their roster moves on his radio show.
The first was already known. Manager Derek Shelton announced Saturday evening that left-hander Dillon Peters would start Sunday’s game for the Pirates. He did so, but that meant the Pirates had to clear a spot on the active roster.
For that, they moved right-hander Bryse Wilson to the 10-day injured list. Wilson was acquired from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline, part of the package sent to Pittsburgh in exchange for closer Richard Rodriguez. The 23-year-old was quite solid in his first two starts with the Pirates, but he struggled more recently, allowing four earned runs in four innings of work Saturday against the Brewers.
After that start, Cherington says, Wilson felt fatigued, so the Pirates opted to sit him down for a while and let him rest before rejoining the club for the last month or so of the season.
Additionally, the Pirates reactivated outfielder Ben Gamel from the injured list, after he was out with a hamstring strain. Gamel was out for exactly 10 days, the minimum amount of time required on the shelf.
To clear room for him on the active roster, the Pirates placed outfielder Anthony Alford on the injured list with a lower back strain. Alford was a late scratch from Saturday’s doubleheader with some back spasms.
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: August 15, 2021, 6:58 p.m.
