He has had a busy offseason so far. The right-hander began 2024 with the Pirates but was traded to the Angels in a minor deal in early May. He pitched 52 innings for LA last season but was designated for assignment in October and has since moved between several organizations.
He was first claimed by the Rangers, but was DFA’d soon after and ended up with Cincinnati. After the Reds released him in early January, the Orioles picked him up, with expectations he might compete for a bullpen spot in spring training.
However, those plans fell through when the Orioles DFA’d him after acquiring former Dodgers prospect Jacob Amaya a week later.
The Orioles hoped to pass Him through waivers, but he was claimed once again, this time by their AL East rivals, the Yankees. Interestingly, the Yankees were the team where Contreras began his career. They signed him as part of their 2016 international free agent class, and by 2019, he had worked his way into New York’s top-10 prospects list.
Orioles recently DFA’d righty Roansy Contreras claimed off waivers by NY Yankees
Contreras’ progress was hindered by the COVID season, which likely prevented him from making his MLB debut that year due to the shortened major league season and the complete cancellation of the minor league season.
The right-hander never pitched for the Yankees in the majors. He was traded to the Pirates in 2021 as part of the deal for Jameson Taillon and was briefly called up to the majors by Pittsburgh later that same year.
Over his career, Contreras has logged 234.2 MLB innings, posting a 4.72 ERA and a similarly underwhelming 4.80 FIP. With a strikeout rate under 20%, he has yet to inspire much confidence, and it’s likely that his future in the majors will be in the bullpen full-time, as he did in 2024.
While it’s possible the Yankees can help him regain his form, given their track record with pitchers like Luke Weaver and Ian Hamilton, who emerged as reliable bullpen arms, it remains to be seen if they can work similar magic with Contreras. The Orioles’ decision to DFA him without giving him a real chance to prove himself could come back to haunt them if the Yankees manage to turn him into a dominant reliever.
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