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PITTSBURGH The Pirates acquired two interesting, potentially high-upside arms in the annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.
Pittsburgh used the first overall pick to select right-hander Jose Soriano from the Angels farm system. Soriano, 22, was the Halos No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and might have ranked higher if he hadn’t undergone Tommy John surgery in February. The Pirates also acquired right-hander Luis Oviedo, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from the Indians system, after he was selected ninth overall by the Mets. Pittsburgh sent New York cash considerations for Oviedo.
Soriano and Oviedo filled the two open spots on the Pirates’ 40-man roster. Whether they pan out or not, those two selections align well with the Pirates’ pursuit of high-upside young talent especially pitching under general manager Ben Cherington. This year, Cherington has acquired six pitchers who currently rank among the club’s Top 30 prospects: Brennan Malone (No. 7)