Pirates A to Z: Acquiring Dauri Moreta in trade adds swing-and-miss element to bullpen

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Dauri Moreta

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 26 (April 15)

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 185 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, one save, 39 strikeouts and 13 walks in 38⅓ innings over 35 appearances.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: From the Cincinnati Reds in a trade for middle infielder Kevin Newman on Nov. 18.

This past season: The Pirates must have liked what they saw the first and last time they faced Moreta, as the rookie reliever recorded a pair of strikeouts.

It’s what happened in between that was the glaring issue.

Moreta surrendered 10 home runs in 38⅓ innings last season, including a pair to Bryan Reynolds in back-to-back games last May. Moreta fanned three of the six Pirates he faced and gave up extra-base hits to the other three. It was that kind of start to his season.

The Reds used Moreta as an opener for the second game of a doubleheader in Cincinnati on May 7, and he started with a strikeout of Ben Gamel. Moreta was pulled after Bryan Reynolds followed with a home run to left field and Ke’Bryan Hayes doubled, but Phillip Diehl gave up back-to-back homers to Yoshi Tsutsugo and Diego Castillo. The 8-5 win marked the first time in franchise history that the Pirates hit three home runs in the first inning.

Bryan Reynolds hits an opposite field HR to open game 2!! #Pirates #Reds pic.twitter.com/7OOoTnUDnW

— Rounding Third (@Rounding3rdNow) May 7, 2022

The next day, Moreta struck out Cole Tucker and got Gamel to ground out before giving up a 390-foot blast to Reynolds. Moreta finished the inning by fanning Michael Chavis.

That inconsistency is why Moreta bounced between Cincinnati and Triple-A Louisville five times. What explains the Pirates’ interest in acquiring Moreta is how he finished the season after June 19: He had 17 scoreless appearances in his final 20 outings, recording 23 strikeouts in 24⅔ innings, with a 2.92 ERA and a .195 batting average against.

Moreta returned to the Reds on Aug. 25 and had a 2.25 ERA and .154 batting-average against in his final five appearances. He averaged 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings but 3.1 walks. He also showed that he’s not afraid to pitch inside, hitting four batters and throwing a few brushback pitches that caused words to be exchanged.

Eduardo Escobar was furious after Dauri Moreta brushed him back with a pitch. pic.twitter.com/Ltoof52k3s

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 7, 2022

The future: The Pirates had to be impressed by Moreta’s past, as he was the Reds’ 2021 minor league pitcher of the year after going 6-0 with a 1.02 ERA, eight saves and 58 strikeouts and nine walks in 53 innings between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville.

Moreta has a four-pitch repertoire that features a 96 mph four-seam fastball and sinker, though his slider had a 48.9% whiff rate and has become his putaway pitch. Opponents hit .190 against his four-seamer, .103 against the slider but .378 against the sinker. He also throws a changeup, against which opponents batted .212.

Small sample size fun - Dauri Moreta threw nine sliders at the MLB level and induced six swings/five whiffs, or an 83.3 whiff %. #Reds pic.twitter.com/pkeuv42ilh

— OnBaseMachine (@RedsFan_Brandon) March 22, 2022

The Pirates have emphasized the need to add more of a swing-and-miss element to their bullpen, so Moreta certainly fits the bill and gives them a different look. Escaping the bandbox that is Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park to pitch at PNC Park should help reduce his home run numbers.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington called Moreta a “talented kid, athletic” with a pair of “plus” pitches in the four-seamer and slider, and “someone we think can come into spring training and be part of the competition in the bullpen and make the team.”

“This is a young pitcher who we feel is kind of at that point where he’s gotten a taste of the big leagues, he’s been successful in the minor leagues, he’s had some success in the major leagues,” Cherington said. “Another in a group of pitchers we have who we believe, we hope are on kind of on that verge of taking that one more step to becoming more regular established major league pitchers.”