North Shore Nine

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the process of getting ready for the offseason. They have begun to call up some players to see what they have in them, Billy Cook, and are likely monitoring what staff to keep or jettison. Both Derek Shelton and Ben Cherington have been given votes of confidence in the past few weeks. Cherington’s came for a number of media sources and Shelton’s came from Cherington himself. That being said it is also possible one or both of them get shown the door when the season’s last pitch has been thrown. It does appear however most likely that it might end up being a coach shake up. Considering the way the bullpen produced this year Justin Meccage could be in trouble. However, the real issue is the production from the players on the team, so who could the Pirates target this offseason to get this team back in the playoffs.

Let us look at each position as a way to best determine where financial resources need to be spent.

Starting Pitching:
Paul Skenes
Mitch Keller
Jared Jones
Luis Ortiz
Bailey Falter
Johan Oviedo
Braxton Ashcraft
Bubba Chandler

Unless the worse happens, the Pirates have 8 good options for starting pitchers already at their disposal. It seems like they will not be adding anything of note at this position, outside of maybe some AAA depth. It should be expected to see a few signings like the past offseason of Eric Lauer, Chase Anderson, Josh Flemming, Brent Honeywell etc. These will be injury/depth types for the Pirates going into the 2025 season.

Adrian Houser: Houser has spent most of his career in the NL central with the Brewers. This past year he took his talents to Flushing to play for the Mets on a 5-million-dollar contract. He did not pitch well in his trip East, which ended with him being released on July 31st by the Mets. He then went to the Cubs, where he never pitched, and was released on August 31st by them to then end up with the Baltimore Orioles. His poor performance this year and the fact he bounced around so much makes him a perfect candidate for what the Pirates could be after this offseason. His career numbers, especially in the NLC, are pretty solid, not to also discredit his knowledge of the NLC and most of their players. As a guy needing a bounce back it could be good for Houser to come pitch in Pittsburgh, who will have some of the best arm in a rotation in the National League. It would allow him to focus on getting back on track, with, hopefully, low expectation of starting the year in the majors.

Jake Odorizzi: Odorizzi was a very good pitcher for the Rays when he started his career. He has a solid few years in Minnesota after getting a big contract to pitch in Twin Cities. He followed that up with stops in Texas both with the Astros and the Rangers, before an injury has sidelined him for a pair of years. He attempted a comeback in 2024 with the Rays but was unable to gain enough traction. He is still looking to pitch again in the Majors and has vowed to work his way back to the league. He would be a good fit in Pittsburgh were they would not need him to step in right away and could be patient with him sitting in AAA as he worked his way back up to the strength needed to pitch in the show. Seeing what Pittsburgh has been able to do with their young pitchers, and a few of the older ones, it could be a perfect opportunity for Odorizzi to work his way back.

Carlos Carrasco: Another pitcher who has had a good track record in the past but has not pitched well in three of the last four seasons. He has spent most of his career in Cleveland with a three-year stint with the Mets. This year in Cleveland he has started the most games since 2018 but has not been putting up very good numbers. There seems a good chance that he will stay in Cleveland, if possible, but if they decide to spend money on better players, something Pittsburgh generally does not do, then a move to Cleveland West might be a good move for him. While he would not be given the chance really to make the rotation out of the gate it could be a good place for him to throw in with a change of being called up at some point. Given his career track record he might not be willing to start in the minors, but based on the last few years he might not have much of a choice.

Relief Pitching:
David Bednar
Colin Holderman
Carmen Mlodzinski
Dauri Moreta (Summer ’25)
Kyle Nicolas
Dennis Santana
Hunter Stratton
Joey Wentz
Mike Burrows

The Pirates were supposed to have a strong bullpen this year, however it quickly became one of their biggest weaknesses. Bednar, Holderman, Mlodzinski, Nicolas, Santanna should all be locks to return to the pen for the ’25 season. Moreta might be ready to rejoin the pen around or after the All-Star break depending on his rehab. Stratton, Wentz and Burrows could also all be options for the bullpen, Stratton will be very dependent on his return from injury. The Pirates also have a trio of players who could leave for Free Agency in Ryan Borucki, Jalen Beeks and Aroldis Chapman. It remains unseen if the Pirates will bring any of them back, though Beeks and Borucki seem the most likely of the group to return. This means it is likely the Pirates will look to add an arm or two in free agency this offseason. The Pirates surprised everyone giving Chapman over 10 million this past offseason, it is unlikely they do something similar this offseason. However, there are plenty of good options that could be available for the Pirates to add to strengthen the bullpen.

Joe Ross:
Ross is a right-handed reliever who has spent most of his career with the Washington National, though spent this season in Milwaukee with the Brewers. Ross was primarily used as a starter his first four seasons. In 2019 he was used more as a relief option before returning to a starter heavy role in 2021. He did not pitch in the Majors in ’22 or ’23 before coming back this year spending half his time as a reliever. He was used as a starter by the Brewers early in the year before transitioning to the bullpen from August on. He also missed all of July due to a lower back strain. Since his transition to the bullpen, he has given up 1 earned run over 21.1 innings of work. Of those 10 games 9 have been for two innings or more of work. Ross would be an ideal pitcher for the Pirates to target this offseason if he is willing to stay in the middle relief type role, he is currently in. He will likely cost more than his just under 2-million-dollar contract for this season, but not significantly more where he will be priced too high for the Pirates. If the Pirates need to use an opener here or there again next season, he would also be a perfect fit for that type of work.

Caleb Ferguson:
Ferguson is a lefty relief pitcher who has spent the majority of his career in the NL pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In this past offseason he signed a one-year contract with the New York Yankees. He struggled in the Bronx and was traded at the deadline to Houston where he has rebounded nicely. Ferguson has his best season in 2022 compiling a 1.82 ERA in 34.2 innings of work over 37 appearances, striking out 37 and only walking 17. He took a step back in 2023 and has done so again here in 2024. However, as he has shown in the 17 games so far with Houston, he still has some gas in the tank as long as he can limit the amount of hits he gives up. If the Pirates do not resign Beeks and or Borucki adding another lefty will be imperative. Ferguson made $2.4 million this year and would at most be looking for a similar number this offseason. This would be well within the budget of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their self-imposed budget limitations.

Scott Alexander:
Alexander is a left-handed pitcher who has spent time in K.C, L.A, San Fransisco and Oakland. Over his 10 year career he has complied a 20-14 record with a 3.20 ERA a 1.286 WHIP a FIP of 3.65 and a 5.5 career WAR. He has been a very consistent pitcher over his career with minimal deviation from year to year. He has had some injury issues which has limited his innings over the last few years. However, when he is healthy, he has proven to be a very good bullpen arm for teams. While his good year in Oakland might cause a bump in demand for his services he is a player the Pirates could benefit from. Also, as with everyone else on this list he would be within the spending pond the Pirates tend to swim in.

Buck Farmer:
Farmer is an 11-year MLB veteran who spent 8 seasons with the Detroit Tigers before spending the last three in Cincinnati with the Reds. A good way to make your team better is to do so at the detriment of your rivals. Farmer has had three solid seasons with the Reds amassing 3.1 WAR over that span. These past three years might have been the most consistent he has pitched as well averaging over 60 strikeouts and under 30 walks each of those seasons. Additionally, his experience pitching in and against the NL Central could be an added bonus. If the Pirates would be able to sign Farmer they could help build a bullpen like most expected them to have this season.

All in all, it will be a pivotal offseason for the Pirates. Starting depth will be on the agenda as will adding a bullpen arm or two or three. Regardless of who they sign they will need to add to this team as it appears primed to put itself back in the National spotlight with some of the most exciting young starters in the game, as well as a few very talented offensive players.