Pirates Outfielder Signs with Japanese Team

He played in all three spots in the outfield, with 21 starts in 31 games played in left field, 23 starts in 29 games played in center field and 13 starts in 24 games played in right field.

Canario had a poor April, hitting just .074 with two hits in 27 at-bats, but had a much better May, where he slashed .279/.326/.407 for an OPS of .733 in 23 games, with 24 hits in 86 at-bats, three doubles, one triple, two home runs, six RBIs and six walks to 29 strikeouts.

He regressed over the next two months, hitting .194 in June in 15 games and one hit in 12 at-bats for a .083 batting average in six games in July.

Canario saw more time in August, where he hit .214, before having a solid end to his campaign in September, slashing .250/.265/.375 for an OPS of .640 in 16 games, with eight hits in 32 at-bats, one double, one home run, four RBIs and one walk to 15 strikeouts.

The season was his first full campaign, as he only played in 15 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2024 and six games with the Cubs in 2023.

Pirates Let Go of Canario

Pittsburgh moved on from Canario after the season, as they designated him for assignment on Nov. 18.

He was one of four players the Pirates placed on waivers that day, as they made room for six players joining the 40-man roster, protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Those players included outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, infielder Jack Brannigan, left-handed pitcher Tyler Samaniego, and right-handed pitchers Wilber Dotel, Antwone Kelly and Brandan Bidois.

Right-handed relief pitchers Dauri Moreta and Colin Holderman and fellow outfielder Ronny Simon joined Canario as the four players the Pirates placed on waivers.

Moreta also took his talents to Japan this offseason, signing with the Hanshin Tigers, the same team that former Pirates infielder Cam Devanney signed with back in November.

Pirates Outfield Outlook for 2026

The Pirates will have both Oneil Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field, but they didn't have a clear-cut starter in left field.

Jake Mangum, who the Pirates landed in the trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 19 finally made his debut last season as a 29-year old rookie and featured mostly in left field, with 46 starts in 63 games played.

Magnum also started 30 out of 41 games played in center field and started 26 of 32 games in right field, making him a versatile outfield addition for the Pirates in 2026.

The Pirates also made another trade on Dec. 4, where they landed a top 100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon García from the Boston Red Sox for right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, amongst the five-player trade.

García has little MLB experience, but showed great power in Triple-A and will reportedly get a shot on the major league roster for Opening Day, as long as he performs well in Spring Training.

The Pirates have just one remaining player from last season aside from Cruz and Reynolds in Jack Suwinski.

Suwinski can play all three outfield positions, but struggled massively from the plate, slashing .147/.281/.253 for an OPS of .534 in 59 games.

Pittsburgh also has both prospects in Billy Cook and Valdez, rounding out the outfield on the 40-man roster.

The MLB Pipeline ranks Valdez as the Pirates' 16th best prospect and he has a strong future, but he hasn't played at Triple-A yet.

Cook has played just 19 games at the major league level and turns 27 years old heading into next season.

The Pirates could also still make an addition in free agency or by trade to bolster their outfield group for 2026.