The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen is struggling right now. Aside from Isaac Mattson, Gregory Soto, and Dennis Santana, the Pirates have very few reliable options. Yohan Ramirez has shown flashes of greatness but has been very up and down. Justin Lawrence has been scored upon in five of his ten appearances this year. The Pirates recently promoted Cam Sanders and Evan Sisk, but neither is a pitcher to put in any leverage situation. Mason Montgomery is about the only other arm the Pirates can call upon for a clean inning. While the Pirates likely wish they hadn’t traded two-time All-Star closer David Bednar, he isn’t the only bullpen arm the Bucs let go who they’re missing right about now. The Pirates designated fan favorite Dauri Moreta for assignment this past offseason before eventually non-tendering him. Now, he is mowing down batters in Japan.
Dauri Moreta, The Other Reliever the Pirates Wish They Kept
From Breakout to Breakdown
Moreta looked like a long-term piece of the Pirates’ bullpen in 2023. Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for infielder Kevin Newman, He broke out to the tune of a 3.72 ERA, 2.93 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP over 58 innings of work. The right-hander struck out batters at an impressive 31.8% rate while holding opponents to just a 0.62 HR/9 ratio. Moreta was above the 85th percentile of both exit velocity (86.7 MPH) and whiff rate (33.6%). His 10% walk rate was the only minor blip on his bottom line. Exit velocity, whiff rate, and strikeout rate were not the only peripherals Moreta excelled in. He also had a 94th-percentile xERA of 2.43 and a 98th-percentile xBA of .183. Moreta showed off high-level pitch quality, with a 105 FanGraphs Stuff+.
Moreta set himself up to play a big role for the Bucs in 2024. Unfortunately, his season ended before it had a chance to begin. He suffered a ligament injury in his elbow during Spring Training. Unsurprisingly, Moreta underwent Tommy John surgery, eliminating him for the rest of the 2024 campaign. On the plus side, he recovered as expected and returned to action in early 2025.
A Solid Rebound (Albeit With Red Flags)
Moreta spent most of 2025 building himself back up at Triple-A. He pitched 39 innings while posting a strong 2.31 ERA, 2.96 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP. The right-hander had a healthy 36% strikeout rate, while inducing a near identical 36.1% whiff rate. He also allowed only two home runs. Moreta held opposing hitters to just a 6.8% barrel percentage. However, walks became an even larger problem. His BB% clocked in at 13%.
Moreta pitched 16.2 innings in the Major Leagues, with relatively solid results. He only allowed six earned runs while striking out 19 opponents. Moreta was hit hard in the small sample size, with an 89.6 MPH exit velocity and 9.5% barrel rate. He allowed seven walks and maintained a playable 10.3% walk percentage. However, there were some red flags. Moreta lost about six inches of movement and a tick of velocity from his iconic backward slider. Considering he used his slider nearly 65% of the time in 2023, losing that much movement is extremely concerning. The drop in movement also caused a drop in Moreta’s Stuff+ to just 97.
Still, given how much time he missed and his ramp-up from surgery, a decrease in stuff wasn’t completely unexpected. Despite such a promising start to his tenure with the Pirates, they opted to designate Moreta for assignment last offseason. Soon after he was DFA’d, the Pirates non-tendered the right-hander. The Pirates chose (at the time) to let go of Moreta, rather than Sanders, Ramirez, or two relievers they would later trade in Kyle Nicolas and Chase Shugart.
Dominating in Japan
It would not take long for Moreta to find a new job. Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hanshin Tigers picked Moreta up soon after the Pirates officially let him go. It has been smooth sailing for Moreta in Japan. In nine innings and nine games, Moreta has only allowed one earned run. He has struck out over a third of opponents so far (35.4%, to be exact), while only allowing two to reach base via a free pass.
While it may only be Japan and a small sample size, the Pirates badly need relief right now. Moreta certainly wasn’t concern-free, but neither were Sanders nor Ramirez. On top of that, both Sanders and Ramirez came with even greater concerns than Moreta. Many Pirates fans likely wish David Bednar was still around, but letting Moreta walk is another move that hurt this bullpen badly.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
