The Pirates claimed utilityman and former top Giants prospect Marco Luciano off waivers Friday, giving them another option either up the middle or in the outfield.
Luciano, 24, was one of the biggest international free agents in 2018, signing for a $2.6 million bonus with the Giants. But he did not pan out with the club. He played 41 games with the Giants between 2023 and '24, hitting .217 with a .590 OPS over 126 plate appearances.
Luciano did not appear in the Majors with the Giants this year; he was among their early Spring Training cuts as they hoped to teach him the outfield. A middle infielder by trade, he played 107 games in left field and none in the infield at Triple-A and made six errors. As a hitter, he homered 23 times but had a mediocre .214/.335/.413 slash line over 555 plate appearances.
Luciano was ranked as the Giants’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 39 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline as recently as 2024. He is out of Minor League options, though, so he will need to either make the Pirates’ Major League team out of camp or be designated for assignment.
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Additionally, the Orioles claimed outfielder Will Robertson off of waivers. Robertson was claimed off waivers in October and never appeared in a game with the Pirates.
The Pirates’ 40-man roster is now at 39, meaning they will have a spot open ahead of the Winter Meetings, which start Monday. Unless they complete a transaction, they should have a spot open ahead of Wednesday's Rule 5 Draft, meaning they can theoretically claim someone.