Karstens Deal Finalized; Zach Stewart Designated For Assignment

With finalization of the Jeff Karstens signing, the Pirates have designated right handed pitcher Zach Stewart for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

 

The Bucs acquired Stewart on waivers from the Red Sox at the end of November for a player to be named later. That player turned out to be Kyle Kaminska, who was acquired in the Gaby Sanchez prior to the Trade Deadline. It was expected that Stewart would be part of the battle for one of the final two spots in the bullpen during Spring Training and, while he may still be part of the bullpen mix, he will now have to clear waivers first in order to do so.

The Pirates Should Carry Two Left-Handers In The 2013 Bullpen

One of the reasons why the Pirates could move Joel Hanrahan is due to the depth in the bullpen; Jason Grilli was signed earlier this winter with a view to close games while the newly acquired Mark Melancon will be the primary setup man. While this will be a popular topic amongst Pirates bloggers since the trade and Tim Williams has comprehensively covered the subject for Pirates Prospects; my argument is why the Pirates need to be carrying two left-handed pitchers in the bullpen this season.