Reinforcements are coming. Pirates target starting pitching depth, eyeing free agents and internal talent to bolster a strong rotation.
The Pittsburgh Pirates traded from a position of strength during the offseason to improve their anemic offense.
Right-hander Mike Burrows was dealt to the Houston Astros as part of a three-team trade in which the Pirates acquired second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jake Mangum from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Pittsburgh also traded right-hander Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox for rookie outfielder Jhonstynxon Garcia.
Those trades, along with the free agent signings of Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, should bolster a lineup that finished last in the major leagues in runs scored and home runs last season.
General manager Ben Cherington has tried to make up for the lost starting pitching depth by signing right-handers Jose Urquidy and Mike Clevinger in free agency. Urquidy signed a one-year, $1.5-million contract, and Clevenger agreed to a minor-league deal.
The Pirates are intrigued by Urquidy, who is most famous for winning two games for the Houston Astros when they lost to the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series in six games. The 30-year-old, though, missed the 2024 season and was limited to two relief appearances with the Detroit Tigers last year while rehabbing from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.
Urquidy made his major league debut with the Astros in 2019 and had a 27-16 record and a 3.98 ERA over 81 games (70 starts) during five seasons with them. First-year Pittsburgh pitching coach Bill Murphy previously worked for the Astros.
“We feel like the timing is good with Urquidy, second year off the Tommy John, coming back, relationship with Murph, a guy who was a dependable starter with the Houston Astros for a couple years there before he hit some injuries,” Cherington said. “We’re excited to see where he is this spring.”
Cherington does not necessarily believe that Urquidy is the last starting pitcher the Pirates will acquire before they open the season on March 26 against the Mets in New York.
“I do think, more broadly, this is an area that we’ll continue to look at as we get deeper into spring training,” Cherington said. “We’re not going to stop looking for reinforcements or upgrades just because we’re here.”
Pittsburgh believes the starting rotation is its biggest strength as 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes leads a group that includes Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and Urquidy. Skenes and Chandler are both 23, and Ashcraft is 26.
However, the Pirates would like to add depth to guard against the younger pitchers throwing too many innings. Among the free agent starters remaining are left-handers Tyler Anderson and Patrick Corbin, and right-handers Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, Max Scherzer, and Marcus Stroman.
Internal options include lefty prospect Hunter Barco, righty prospect Thomas Harrington, and reliever Carmen Mlodzinski.
“As we get into spring training, free agent lists usually get a little shorter,” Cherington said. “Maybe some of that focus shifts towards trades. We’ll keep working at it. But we’re very confident in the group we have here. We have a number of young guys in camp, some of which have touched the big leagues, some of which haven’t, that we think can be part of that also. Confident but also still working on it.”
Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.