Pirates Sign Relief Pitcher to One-Year Deal

Joe La Sorsa's Background

La Sorsa hails from Mount Kisco, N.Y. and attended Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, N.Y., before pitching three seasons for St. John's from 2017-19.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected La Sorsa in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, where he spent four seasons in the minors.

He did pitch for Team Italy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, giving up four earned runs over 2.2 innings in three appearances for a 13.50 ERA.

The Rays finally called up La Sorsa on May 28, 2023 marking his first time making an MLB roster.

La Sorsa made two appearances with the Rays, giving up one earned run over 4.1 innings pitched, walking three batters and posting three strikeouts, before they designated him for assignment on June 3.

The Washington Nationals claimed La Sorsa off of waivers on June 8 and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester.

La Sorsa eventually made it to the Nationals on June 21, where he had three scoreless outings, but also two outings where he gave up four runs each, as the Nationals sent him back down to Triple-A.

The Nationals recalled La Sorsa on July 17 and spent about a month at the MLB level, giving up four runs in one outing, but just three hits and no runs over the other nine appearances and 10.2 innings pitched.

He moved up and down between Washington and Rochester the rest of the season, finishing with three earned runs allowed over his next eight MLB outings, with his final six scoreless.

La Sorsa finished his 2023 season with the Nationals with a 1-0 record in 23 appearances, a 4.76 ERA over 28.1 innings pitched, 25 strikeouts to six walks, a .254 opposing batting average and a 1.54 WHIP.

He spent most of the 2024 season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.25 ERA over 42 outings, before the Nationals recalled him on Aug. 17.

La Sorsa finished out his 2024 campaign in Washington, where he had a 4.58 ERA over 16 appearances and 17.2 innings pitched, a .258 opposing batting average and a 1.25 WHIP.

La Sorsa and his 2025 Campaign

The Nationals designated La Sorsa for assignment on Jan. 24 and then released him on Jan. 29, allowing the Cincinnati Reds to sign him as a minor league free agent on Feb. 4.

La Sorsa had three different short stints with the Reds, amounting to just five games, giving up eight earned runs over 6.2 innings pitched for a 10.80 ERA.

The Reds designated him for assignment on Sept. 2 and La Sorsa elected free agency on Sept. 5, before signing a minor league deal with the New York Mets.

La Sorsa pitched in four games for Triple-A Syracuse, before recently electing free agency on Nov. 6.

What the Pirates Get in La Sorsa

La Sorsa is a left-handed pitcher, which the Pirates desperately need going into 2026.

The Pirates started the 2025 season with four left-handed relievers on their Opening Day Roster, but ended up with just one past the trade deadline, relying on Génesis Cabrera, Evan Sisk and also rookie Hunter Barco.

La Sorsa generally throws four different pitches, a sinker, a four-seam fastball, a sweeper and a changeup. He also had a cutter he threw in the 2024 and 2023 seasons.

His best success comes with his changeup, which he kept below a .175 batting average in 2023 and 2024, and his sweeper does well too, with a .123 batting average in 2023 and a .250 bating average in 2024.

La Sorsa looks like he'll have a shot for the roster, but he'll need a strong Spring Training and some luck, as the Pirates possses a strong pitching staff.