Joe La Sorsa will once again trigger his upward mobility clause in his minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 7 News’ Ari Alexander reports the left-hander will exercise the clause tomorrow, forcing the Pirates to offer La Sorsa to the other 29 MLB teams. If another club claims him, Pittsburgh must trade him. If not, he remains in their system.
The Pirates went through this process already at the end of spring training, when La Sorsa went unclaimed. He has since posted a 3.60 ERA in 25 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis. That includes a 5.9% walk rate and a 46.4% ground ball rate. La Sorsa’s 20.8% strikeout rate is modest but consistent with his career profile.
La Sorsa has a 5.21 ERA in 57 career big league innings across stints with the Rays, Nationals, and Reds. He struck out 17.5% of batters while walking 6.3% in that time. The Mets signed him to a minor league deal in September 2023 but didn’t promote him to the majors.
Pittsburgh has three left-handed relievers on its active roster in Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery, and Evan Sisk. That leaves little room for La Sorsa on the 26-man roster. However, the Pirates still have a 40-man roster spot open after optioning Cam Sanders back to Triple-A following a brief promotion.
La Sorsa has one remaining minor league option, which makes him valuable to teams in need of a left-handed bullpen arm. He can be shuffled between Triple-A and the majors up to five times before being blocked. That flexibility could attract a team looking for depth without long-term risk.
The Pirates have 72 hours to shop La Sorsa before he is either traded or returned to their system. The move could help a contender in need of a southpaw or give Pittsburgh a return for a player who hasn’t made a major impact in the majors yet.
The Pirates will host the Reds on Tuesday night. A decision on La Sorsa’s future could come before or after the game.
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