Pirates Linked to Former Cy Young Winner to Bolster Rotation

As the Pittsburgh Pirates go through the offseason, the front office will have to address some holes along the roster.

But one area that the Pirates don't necessarily need to improve on is the starting rotation, but teams can never have too much pitching help. Over a long regular season, having more options than not could be the difference in a team making the playoff, or falling short.

If the Pirates want to add another starter to the mix, it would likely be a lower-tier guy, giving some depth to the rotation. Pittsburgh has plenty of arms who need to throw innings, but there are ways to add a player to the mix.

One name that has been linked with Pittsburgh is veteran left-hander Robbie Ray, who split time between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres last year. Ray had a very solid season in 2026, and there could be some competition for his services.

But MLB analyst Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors has the Pirates landing Ray this offseason to bolster the rotation. The contract projection for the veteran left-hander came in at one year, $12 million.

The former Cy Young Award winner isn't the same pitcher that he was a few years ago, but he could be a quality back-end starter for a team like the Pirates. Ray could also bring some veteran leadership to the table, which may be good for a younger team like Pittsburgh.

Splitting time between the two teams, Ray did post a 3.59 ERA over 31 appearances (30 starts) last season. His numbers in San Francisco were much better than San Diego, with him putting up a 5.02 ERA with the Padres, compared to his 3.08 ERA with the Giants.

However, Ray still showed that he could make an impact for a team, and Pittsburgh could take advantage. Putting him in the back part of the rotation behind guys like Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and Jared Jones could give the Pirates one of the best rotation in the sport.

Getting a former Cy Young winner for a cheap price can't be overstated, even if the lefty hasn't performed up to that level since. Ray did well at run prevention, even with his higher ERA, and this is something that teams can learn from when diving more into his advanced numbers.

If the Pirates could get Ray on a one-year deal, it would be more than worth it for the 2027 season.