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Phil Irwin Claimed Off Waivers By the Rangers

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The Texas Rangers have claimed right-handed pitcher Phil Irwin from the Pirates. Irwin was designated for assignment last week, making room for right-handed reliever Josh Wall.

The move to DFA Irwin was a questionable one, and not an example of good roster management. About 30 minutes after announcing the move, the Pirates announced that they designated Wandy Rodriguez for assignment, creating an open spot on the 40-man roster. You’d think that the Pirates could have designated Rodriguez for assignment, which would have allowed them to keep Irwin.

Furthermore, they had Jason Grilli returning a day later, and ended up designating Vin Mazzaro for assignment on Monday. That means they’ve currently got two open spots on the 40-man roster, all while losing Irwin on waivers.

Irwin isn’t the biggest loss. He had struggled this year, and was removed from the Indianapolis rotation to become a reliever. But he did have one of the best curveballs in the system, and had the potential to be a reliever in the majors, with the shot of pitching long relief or spot starting. Aside from his value, you don’t want to give away any talent for free. It doesn’t seem like the Pirates needed to lose Irwin, especially since they had an open roster spot less than an hour after announcing he was designated for assignment.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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