Emilio Enrique Pagán (born May 7, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Minnesota Twins. He plays for the Puerto Rico national baseball team.

Emilio Pagán
Pagán with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019
Cincinnati Reds – No. 15
Pitcher
Born: (1991-05-07) May 7, 1991 (age 33)
Simpsonville, South Carolina, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 3, 2017, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Win–loss record26–23
Earned run average3.78
Strikeouts500
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Puerto Rico
World Baseball Classic
Silver medal – second place 2017 Los Angeles Team

Amateur career

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Pagán attended J. L. Mann High School in Greenville, South Carolina, and played college baseball at Belmont Abbey College. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[1]

Professional career

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Seattle Mariners

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After signing with the Mariners, Pagán made his professional debut that year with the Pulaski Mariners. He was promoted to the Everett AquaSox in August. In 26.1 relief innings pitched between the two teams he was 1–1 with a 1.03 ERA and 35 strikeouts. In 2014, he pitched for the Clinton LumberKings where he compiled a 2–3 record and 2.89 ERA in 42 relief appearances, and in 2015, he played with the Bakersfield Blaze where he pitched to a 3–8 record and 2.53 ERA. Pagán spent 2016 with the Jackson Generals and Tacoma Rainiers, compiling a combined 5–3 record and 2.49 ERA in 65 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

Pagán was on Puerto Rico's roster for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[2] He began the season with Tacoma and was promoted to the major leagues on May 2. On May 3, 2017, he made his major league debut for the Mariners against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Safeco Field. He was sent down and recalled multiple times during the season before he was recalled for the remainder of the season on July 7. In 34 relief appearances for Seattle, he was 2–3 with a 3.22 ERA, and in 23 appearances for Tacoma, he was 2–1 with a 2.56 ERA.[3]

Oakland Athletics

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On November 15, 2017, Pagán was traded to the Oakland Athletics, along with Alexander Campos, in exchange for Ryon Healy.[4] He began the season with Oakland, but was sent down to the Nashville Sounds on May 2. He was recalled back to Oakland on May 18.

Tampa Bay Rays

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On December 21, 2018, the Athletics traded Pagán to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three team deal in which the Rays also acquired Rollie Lacy and a competitive balance pick in the 2019 MLB draft, the Athletics acquired Jurickson Profar, and the Texas Rangers acquired Brock Burke, Kyle Bird, Yoel Espinal, Eli White, and $750,000 of international signing bonus pool space.[5]

In 2019, after an impressive spring training, Pagán was sent to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He was recalled on April 16, after Blake Snell fractured his toe. On April 19, Pagán was optioned to Durham when Casey Sadler was recalled,[6] then Pagán was recalled two days later.[7] Pagán later on became the team's closer and finished the season recording 20 saves. He finished with a 2.31 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 70 innings.

San Diego Padres

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On February 8, 2020, the Rays traded Pagán to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Manuel Margot and Logan Driscoll.[8] Through August 20, 2020, Pagán had blown 4 saves and pitched to a 7.36 ERA, but after that point he recorded 10 out of 11 scoreless innings, only surrendering 2 runs with a 1.64 ERA to finish the season.[9]

Minnesota Twins

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The Padres traded Pagán, Chris Paddack and a player to be named later to the Minnesota Twins for Taylor Rogers, Brent Rooker, and cash considerations on April 7, 2022. The player to be named later was minor league pitcher Brayan Medina.[10] Pagán went 4–6 with a 4.43 ERA in 59 relief appearances during the 2022 season. He also recorded nine saves.[11]

The Twins and Pagán avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one year, $3.5 million contract on January 13, 2023.[12] He went 5–2 with a 2.99 ERA during the 2023 season, recording one save. Pagán also made his first career major league start against the Colorado Rockies as an opener on September 30.[13]

Cincinnati Reds

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The Cincinnati Reds signed Pagán to a one-year contract with an option for a second season on December 1, 2023.[14] He began the 2024 season out of Cincinnati's bullpen, compiling a 4.43 ERA with 26 strikeouts across 22 games. Pagán was placed on the injured list with a right lat strain on June 9, and transferred to the 60–day injured list on June 27.[15] He was activated on August 10.[16]

International career

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Pagán pitched for the Puerto Rico national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He pitched two scoreless innings and helped Puerto Rico earn a silver medal in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[17] Pagán pitched one scoreless inning for Puerto Rico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, helping his team reach the quarterfinals.

References

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  1. ^ Emilio Pagan Selected By Seattle Mariners In Tenth Round Of Major League Baseball Draft
  2. ^ "Young stars join Beltran, Yadi for Puerto Rico". MLB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  3. ^ "Emilio Pagan Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  4. ^ Johns, Greg (November 15, 2017). "Mariners acquire slugger Healy from A's". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "Rangers deal Profar to A's in 3-team trade". Texas Rangers. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "Rays' Casey Sadler: Contract selected by Rays". CBS Sports. April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  7. ^ "Rays Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. April 2019. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  8. ^ Toribo, Juan (February 9, 2020). "Rays land Margot, prospect from SD for Pagán". mlb.com. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "Padres: Emilio Pagan remains an important part of bullpen". January 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Park, Do-Hyoung (April 7, 2022). "Twins get Paddack, Pagán from Padres for Rogers, Rooker". MLB.com. MLB. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Emilio Pagán Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. ^ "2023 MLB Arbitration Tracker". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  13. ^ "Twins looking to keep pitchers fresh in rematch vs. Rockies". Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "Reds add reliever Pagán on 2-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "Reds Activate Noelvi Marté". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Reds Activate Emilio Pagán From 60-Day IL". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  17. ^ "Getting to know Emilio Pagan, the newest Oakland Athletic". Athletics Nation. November 16, 2017.
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