Projected Salaries for Pirates Arbitration Eligible Players

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason, and a handful of them are going to start right away with the arbitration-eligible players this winter.

There are 10 players on the Pirates roster who fall into this group, including some of the team’s star players. They could be looking for a big payday, even before they’re set to hit free agency this offseason.

MLB Trade Rumors shared its arbitration projections for every player in this situation this winter, including the Pirates. Here are their predictions.

If these predictions prove accurate, or close, and the Pirates bring back each player, that would represent $ 28.7 million of Pittsburgh’s overall salary next year. 

In the grand scheme of things, that's not too much, especially considering some of the key players that are arbitration-eligible this winter.

Looking at this list and the projected salaries for each player, the two most interesting arbitration contract negotiations to watch are Paul Skenes and Endy Rodriguez.

Starting with Skenes, his career numbers suggest he could break records with his first arbitration contract. Throughout his first three big-league seasons, the 24-year-old has posted a 2.62 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 87 starts.

However, one narrative of Skenes’ 2026 season was the decline in his fastball velocity, which is concerning.

The Pittsburgh front office has publicly said they weren’t worried about Skenes' drop in velo, but what are they saying behind closed doors? Could that impact how much the organization is willing to offer Skenes for 2027?

Still, if the Pirates were wise, they’d keep Skenes happy and come to an agreement well before the deadline.

Rodriguez had a breakout season at the plate for Pittsburgh when he was on the field. The 26-year-old logged a .840 OPS and seven home runs.

However, the key phrase there is on the field, because injuries have been a theme throughout Rodriguez’s entire career. Over three seasons, he’s only played 120 games and has landed on the injured list, which included a hip procedure that ended his 2026 season prematurely.

At this point, are the Pirates more willing to pay him just over a million dollars for next season, or view him more as a non-tender candidate?