The Pittsburgh Pirates invited 13 players to spring training camp next month in Bradenton, Florida.
Pittsburgh inked right-handed pitchers Carson Fulmer, Isaac Mattson, Tanner Rainey, Yohan Ramirez, Yerry Rodriguez, Burch Smith, Hunter Stratton and Eddy Yean; catcher Abrahan Gutierrez; infielders Darick Hall, Malcolm Nunez and Nick Solak; and outfielder Bryce Johnson to minor-league deals.
Fulmer, 31, posted a 4.15 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings with the Los Angeles Angels during the 2024 season. The eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Vanderbilt was with the Pirates during the 2020 campaign, but did not appear in a game. He has logged 227 1/3 innings at the major league level.
Mattson, 29, totaled six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings with the Pirates late in the 2024 season. In 2024, the Erie native produced a 3.68 ERA with 89 punchouts in 71 innings with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. Sixty of his innings came in Indianapolis.
Rainey, 32, played for New Orleans in the 2013 All American Amateur Baseball Association Tournament. He was a member of the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals. In 2024, Rainey fanned 44 batters in 51 innings and posted a 4.76 ERA with the Nationals. He has pitched 189 1/3 innings and racked up 236 strikeouts over seven seasons.
Ramirez, 29, spent the 2024 season with the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. The sinkerballer fanned 45 batters over 45 innings and produced a 6.20 ERA. Ramirez pitched for the Pirates in 2022 and 2023, logging a 3.67 ERA with 52 punchouts in 61 1/3 innings.
Rodriguez, 27, logged 21 2/3 innings and a 8.72 ERA with the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays in 2024. He struck out 17 batters.
Smith, 34, totaled a 4.95 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings with the Miami Marlins and Orioles in 2024. He has pitched 247 1/3 frames over six seasons (2013, 18-21, 24).
Stratton, 28, returns to the Pirates after he made his big league debut with the team in 2023. The 2017 16th-round pick totaled a 3.26 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings with Pittsburgh in 2023 and 2024. The right-hander suffered a ruptured patella tendon in August 2024 and is expected to miss the first portion of the 2025 season.
Yean, 23, came to the Pirates with Wil Crowe from the Washington Nationals in the Josh Bell trade. Yean totaled a 3.36 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 75 innings with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis in 2024. He logged 73 frames with the Curve and posted a 3.45 ERA. Yean pitched in the Arizona Fall League and struck out eight batters in 9 1/3 innings with a 6.75 ERA.
Gutierrez, 25, hit .241 with Low-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona in 2024. The backstop doubled 10 times and drove in 20 runs during 44 games with the Curve.
Hall, 29, is a left-handed, 6-foot-4, 232-pound slugger. Hall logged 198 plate appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022 and 2023, homering 10 times and driving in 19 runs. In 2024, Hall hit .236 and slugged 16 home runs to go with 72 RBIs and 17 doubles at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has hit 160 minor league home runs to go with 561 RBIs.
Nunez, 23, was acquired with Johan Oviedo from the St. Louis Cardinals for Jose Quintana and Chris Stratton in 2022. Nunez, hit .250 with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs during 128 games at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2024.
Solak, 30, has hit .252 during five seasons at the big league level. He played for the Texas Rangers (2019-22), Atlanta Braves (2023) and Detroit Tigers (2023). The 2016 second-round pick from the University of Louisville hit .311 with a .406 on-base percentage and .446 slugging percentage with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate, Tacoma, in 2024. He hit nine home runs, drove in 53 runs and stole 10 bases.
Johnson, 29, is a switch-hitter who has played in the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants (2022-23) and San Diego Padres (2024). Johnson competed in 47 games with the Padres in 2024, with two of his 13 hits going for doubles. He drove in four runs. The 2017 sixth-round pick batted .289 with a .407 on-base percentage and .431 slugging percentage with Triple-A El Paso in 2024, driving in 34 runs to go with 15 doubles, five triples and four home runs.
