The Pittsburgh Pirates have released veteran catcher Francisco Cervelli. His time on the open-market may be short though, as the Atlanta Braves are reportedly close to signing him.
UPDATE: Francisco Cervelli has officially signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves.
Francisco Cervelli‘s time with the Pittsburgh Pirates has come to a close. After spending five years with the Pirates, the club released him on Wednesday. This decision was made at Cervelli’s request, as he sought an opportunity for more playing time.
Huntington: “Out of respect and appreciation for Francisco, we have chosen to honor his request to be released in order for him to pursue an opportunity that potentially gives him a chance at more playing time, as well as an opportunity this season to compete in the postseason."
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) August 22, 2019
This season, Cervelli appeared in just thirty-four games, posting a .193/.279/.248 batting line with just one homer and three doubles in his 123 plate appearances. Injuries have become problematic for the Venezuela-born catcher. Just recently, Pittsburgh placed him on the 60-day injured list with a concussion. Cervelli is expected to remain in the league-mandated protocol until at least the start of September.
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Shortly after news broke that Cervelli was released, the Atlanta Braves were one of the first times that have been reported that is expected to sign Francisco Cervelli.
Per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Braves have some sort of deal in place with Cervelli. It is currently unknown whether it’s a major league or minor league deal. Cervelli must still clear release waivers before he’ll be able to sign a deal with any other team.
In what could be a confusing move for some Braves fan that they’re acquiring another catcher despite having Tyler Flowers as their primary catcher with Alex Jackson playing back-up, as well as Brian McCann expected back from the Injured List in relatively short order. It’s unclear whether Cervelli will report to the major-league team as he signs his reported deal or if he will report to minor-leagues and be called up when the rosters expand in September.
In his twelve-year career, Francisco Cervelli has placed with just two teams – the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He reached the 2009 World Series with the Yankees. In 2015, he led the NL with stolen bases allowed as he allowed 101 stolen bases.