Pirates

Pirates All 40: Dauri Moreta Could Give Bucs Needed Jolt

Published

4 weeks ago

December 31, 2024

Danny Demilio

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

There were a couple reasons as to why the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen underperformed in 2024.

It looked like the bullpen was going to be the team’s biggest strength when pitchers and catchers reported to Bradenton last February. Instead, the bullpen held them back.

One of the reasons why things didn’t shake out the way many thought they would was because of Dauri Moreta’s season-ending elbow injury in spring training.

Just three appearances into his spring training workload, it was clear something was wrong. Moreta allowed three home runs in 2.1 innings and walked four batters.

After he was removed from his third and final appearances of the spring alongside a trainer, the result was the Pirates’ biggest fear. Moreta underwent Tommy John surgery in March and missed the entire season.

The Pirates acquired Moreta from the Cincinnati Reds two years ago in exchange for infielder Kevin Newman.

After he was acquired, Moreta spent much of the 2023 season in the big leagues with the Pirates and had a promising year. In 55 relief appearances, the right-hander went 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA and a 2.93 FIP. He struck out 76 batters across 58 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average.

While he has a four-seam fastball and a changeup in his arsenal, Moreta throws his slider 65% of the time. The pitch, which is unique in the way it moves, rates in the 84th-percentile of breaking pitches across the league.

While the 2024 season proved to be a lost year for the 28-year-old, Moreta could give the Pirates’ bullpen a big boost once he’s cleared to return. Based off of the original estimate at the time of his injury, Moreta could be back on the mound as early as late May if there are no setbacks.

Background

The Reds signed Moreta as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 and he spent eight years in the organization prior to his trade to the Pirates.
Moreta won the Reds’ 2021 MiLB.com organizational All-Star after posting a 1.02 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A and making his MLB debut on Sep. 26.
Moreta’s 76 strikeouts were second among Pirates’ relievers in 2023 and he finished third in appearances (58) and games finished (11).
Career highlight: Moreta earned his first-career save while with the Reds in 2022 after recording the final two outs in the 10th inning against the Yankees in New York. He earned his first-career win while with the Pirates against the Chicago White Sox on Apr. 9, 2023.
Contract status: Moreta isn’t arbitration-eligible until next offseason.