Minor-league free-agent signings can fly under the radar during the offseason, but one never knows when these deals might prove consequential.
The St. Louis Cardinals let Oddanier Mosqueda, one of their most-used Triple-A relievers, walk at the end of the season, which wasn’t a huge surprise, given the fact that he came to St. Louis as a free agent in the offseason. But Mosqueda then quickly signed with a division rival.
According to the official transaction log on his roster page, Mosqueda signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Nov. 14. It will be the lefty’s 10th season in affiliated ball, after originally signing as an amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox in 2015.
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What Oddanier Mosqueda brings to Pirates 
Feb 28, 2023; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Oddanier Mosqueda (95) pitches in the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
It’s not as though the Pirates are expecting Mosqueda to walk in on day one and become a reliable major league setup man. He’s got 465 minor-league innings under his belt and his 4.28 career ERA indicates that he’s far from a finished product.
However, the 26-year-old has always piled up strikeouts (566 of them, to be precise), and if he can limit his walks, his .216 batting average allowed will play at any level.
Working from a funky sidewinding delivery, Mosqueda has the potential to bring a change of pace to any bullpen he joins, but without major league experience, the Cardinals were well within their rights to let him test minor-league free agency without guaranteeing him anything more than the Triple-A opportunities he got this year.
Oddanier Mosqueda comes in with the bases loaded and 1 out and slams the door on the US and Venezuela wins 5-3! pic.twitter.com/ig35oqdqMg
— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) November 12, 2024
Pittsburgh and St. Louis are both in a rebuilding state, so if Mosqueda makes the biggest improvement imaginable, it’s not as if shutting the Cardinals down in a game this year is likely to haunt St. Louis in the long run.
However, it’s interesting to document these moves that seem minor now, because baseball history is littered with important relief pitchers who switched teams back when no one outside of the die-hard prospect followers knew who they were.
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