Pirates sign catcher Ali Sanchez to 1-year deal, claim righty Roddery Munoz off waivers

Less than two days away from the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., the Pittsburgh Pirates made several roster moves, signing catcher Ali Sanchez to a one-year deal and claiming pitcher Roddery Munoz off waivers from Washington on Friday.

The 26-year-old Sanchez spent last season with Triple-A Reno in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, hitting .311 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs in 67 games.

Defensively, Sanchez saw 427 ⅔ innings of action, making a lone error in 460 total chances.

A native of Carora, Venezuela, Sanchez originally signed with the New York Mets in 2013 as an international free agent.

He made his MLB debut in 2020, appearing in five games for New York before joining the Cardinals and Tigers organizations.

Munoz, a 23-year-old righty, split last season between the Washington and Atlanta farm systems.

In 34 appearances (14 starts) with Double-A Mississippi, Triple-A Gwinnett, the Florida Complex League Braves and Triple-A Rochester, Munoz went 4-6 with a 5.42 ERA, striking out 81 over 78 innings.

Finally catching up on Roddery Muñoz (WSH No. 19), the Nationals’ most recent claim.

Muñoz is a 23-year-old reliever with a fastball, slider, and changeup. He has command issues, but was ranked 8th (40+ FV) in the Braves’ system by Fangraphs.

2023 AAA stats:
30.1 IP
4.15 ERA pic.twitter.com/mdn7Tpbx6n

— Nats Farm (@NatsFarm) July 27, 2023

Ahead of the 2023 season, Baseball America ranked him as Atlanta’s No. 22 prospect.

In addition, right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch, who spent part of last season with the Pirates, cleared outright waivers and is expected to sign with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan.

The Pirates’ 40-man roster now sits at 38.