Pittsburgh Pirates designate James McDonald for assignment
By Matt Shetler
It appears the James McDonald era is coming to a close in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates designated the righty for assignment before Saturday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, signaling that they have all but given up on hoping that McDonald could work his way back to his pre-All-Star break form of 2012.
April 15, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher James McDonald delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Based on the fact that McDonald earned $3.025 million this year, and likely would have received a similar number if the Pirates had taken him to arbitration this offseason, the move makes sense.
It is a bit surprising though that they would make the decision to DFA J-Mac this late in the season, when they could have simply non-tendered him a contract in the offseason.
After looking like a Cy Young candidate early last season, McDonald collapsed down the stretch and was brutally awful in six starts this season. After spending some time on the disabled list this year, McDonald was unable to find any consistency in his rehab outings as he was equally as brutal.
He will be a project for somebody as there will be a team that will take a shot on his talent and there is still a chance the Pirates could sign him to a minor-league deal in the offseason, although I wouldn’t count on it.
In other roster news, the Bucs did promote Brandon Cumpton on Saturday.
Cumpton hasn’t pitched since August 28th and will likely be the first man out of the pen tonight if Jeff Locke struggles.