For the second time this year, Joe La Sorsa will trigger an upward mobility clause in his minor league deal with the Pirates. 7 News’ Ari Alexander reports that La Sorsa will exercise the clause tomorrow, and the Pirates will then have to offer the left-hander to the other 29 big league clubs.
If any other team is willing to give La Sorsa a roster spot, the Pirates are required to trade La Sorsa to an interested team, or add them to their own active roster. If none of the 29 teams are interested, La Sorsa will remain in Pittsburgh’s minor league system.
The two sides already went through this process at the end of Spring Training, when La Sorsa exercised his clause and went unclaimed. The Bucs haven’t felt compelled to select La Sorsa’s contract over the last two months, though he has a respectable 3.60 ERA, 5.9% walk rate, and 46.4% grounder rate rate over 25 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis.
La Sorsa has only a 20.8% strikeout rate, which about matches his moderate swing-and-miss ability over his pro career. After breaking into the majors with Tampa Bay in 2023, La Sorsa has a 5.21 ERA, 17.5K%, and 6.3BB% over 57 career innings with the Rays, Nationals, and Reds. The Mets inked La Sorsa to a minors deal last September that didn’t result in any big league playing time, and La Sorsa became a minor league free agent at season’s end before joining the Pirates.
Between closer Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery, and Evan Sisk, Pittsburgh has been getting good results from the left-handed complement of its relief corps. Most teams generally don’t have more than three southpaws in the bullpen, so La Sorsa might not have a path to the Pirates’ roster. That said, the Bucs do have an open spot on the 40-man roster and even on their 26-man, as Cam Sanders was optioned back to Triple-A following a one-game cup of coffee in today’s 9-3 win over the Twins.
Another club with more of a pressing need for left-handed depth could have interest in La Sorsa. He has a minor league option remaining, so he has value for teams looking for bullpen arms that can be shuffled back and forth (up to five times) from Triple-A.
