Pirates to acquire left-hander from Mets

The Pirates are acquiring left-hander Josh Walker from the Mets, according to Robert Murray of FanSided on X. 

The Mets designated the lefty for assignment last week. The Bucs have an open 40-man spot and won’t need to make a corresponding move. There haven’t been any reports about what the Mets are receiving in return, so it may just be a cash deal or waiver claim.

Walker, 29, spent just over a year on the Mets’ 40-man roster. He was selected in May 2023 and spent most of the time until his DFA on an optional assignment. To this point, he has 22 1/3 major league innings on his ledger, having allowed 6.45 earned runs per nine. He has a 22.3 percent strikeout rate, 11.7 percent walk rate and 36.8 percent ground-ball rate so far.

As is often the case, the minor league work has been more impressive. Between last year and this year, he has a 2.33 ERA in 58 innings at the Triple-A level. His 13.8 percent walk rate there is certainly high, but he’s also punched out 32.1 percent of batters faced.

The lefty can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season, so the Bucs are bolstering their left-handed relief depth. 

They currently have Aroldis Chapman and Jalen Beeks as their southpaws in the big league bullpen, but both are impending free agents. As is Ryan Borucki, who is on the injured list. Walker has less than a year of service time and could be a long-term piece if he hangs onto his roster spot.