Fastball

Former Pittsburgh Pirates Top Prospect Latches on With Division Rival

Roansy Contreras, who was once a Top-100 prospect with the Pirates, has latched on with the Cincinnati Reds.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras (59) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at PNC Park in 2023.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras (59) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at PNC Park in 2023. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Former Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Roansy Contreras has latched on with the Cincinnati Reds. Contreras had been designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers recently.

The 25-year-old Contreras was ranked as the No. 71 prospect in baseball back in 2022, according to MLB.com. He made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 and went 9-12 over parts of four seasons with the organization. He had a 4.83 ERA over 53 appearances (30 starts).

Pittsburgh had acquired him in the trade that sent Jameson Taillon to the New York Yankees.

With the Reds, Contreras will get a chance to add to their pitching depth. After acquiring Brady Singer this offseason, they appear to have a starting group of Singer, Nick Martinez, Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. However, Lodolo has been oft-injured, so Contreras could serve as valuable organizational depth. Furthermore, if Lodolo was healthy, Contreras could be a good swing option in the bullpen.

The Reds finished tied for second in the National League Central this past season while the Pirates finished last. Both teams are looking to improve in 2025, with the Reds featuring some of the top young players in all of baseball.

The Pirates are also exciting, given that they are in for a full year of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones on the mound. They also have Bryan Reynolds coming back, along with Ke'Bryan Hayes. They recently acquired Spencer Horwitz in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians, and he will be the team's new first baseman.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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