2 Pittsburgh Pirates who saved their roster spots this season, 1 who is in DFA limbo

The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to have to make some serious roster alterations this offseason. After failing to crack 80 wins once again, despite an impressive pitching staff, the Pirates are once again going back to the drawing board.

While there are many players who will not return next year, it’s quite possible these two Pirates saved themselves from DFA limbo at the very last moment. However, one recently active Pirate was not able to do the same. 

Kyle Nicolas has been great since his August return to Pirates

Kyle Nicolas definitely flashed some potential in 2024. He displayed an upper-90s four-seam fastball with both a slider and curveball that got a whiff over a third of the time. Nicolas had a 107 FanGraphs Stuff+ mark, but there was an obvious flaw in his control, as he walked 12.8% of his opponents. He was also hit hard, with a 90 MPH exit velocity and 8.5% barrel rate, both of which were below the 40th percentile of pitchers in 2024.

Nicolas did not break camp with the Pirates, but it didn’t take long for him to get called back up to the big league team. He saw sporadic time in the Major League bullpen, but allowed 10 earned runs in a dozen innings of work. He only struck out eight batters while allowing nine to reach via free pass. Despite that, Nicolas was putting up solid numbers at Triple-A at the time of his next opportunity.

The Pirates recalled Nicolas a third time to the Major Leagues in August, and he has since found a groove. His last 26 innings of work have yielded a 3.46 ERA, 2.91 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP. He is walking far fewer opponents, with a solid 8.4% BB%. Neither home runs, nor quality contact, have been a problem for Nicolas, as he’s allowed just a single home run with a barrel rate of 5.7%. He’s now getting strikeouts at an above-average 24.3% rate.

Nicolas’ last two months of work are the best stretch of games he has had in the Majors. There are plenty of relievers with similarly great stuff to Nicolas who never figure out how to locate it effectively. Nicolas looked like one of those relievers heading into August, but this promising stretch may have just saved him from DFA limbo.

Joey Bart’s power is back on for Pirates

Joey Bart was a middle-of-the-order-type threat for the Pirates last year. He hit 13 home runs in just 80 games and 282 plate appearances, with an isolated slugging percentage just a few points under .200, clocking in at .198. Overall, he had a 121 wRC+ after the Pirates picked him up from his former team, the San Francisco Giants.

However, Bart’s hitting took a severe decline for most of this season. He was only hitting .244/.343/.302 with a .297 wOBA and 87 wRC+ in 236 plate appearances through the end of July. While Bart was still getting on-base at an above-average rate, and had a quality 11.9% walk rate, he only had a single home run, as well as an ISO well under .100, coming in at .059. It also didn’t help that he was striking out 27.5% of the time.

However, since the start of August, Bart has looked a lot more like his 2024 self. His last 92 plate appearances have yielded a .263/.391/.447 triple-slash. Bart’s power outage seems to be behind him, as he’s gone yard three times, upping his ISO to .184. The backstop has also drawn more walks, with a 13% BB%. There are definitely some red flags, like his 29.3% K% and .370 batting average on balls in play, but the changes he has made are helping him hit for more power.

Bart can thank his fast swing rate uptick for his increased power output. It comes in at 52.6% since August 1. For reference, it came in at 51% last year, and sat at 41.1% at the end of July. Bart’s lackluster defense means he has to hit. Reverting to swing decisions that look more like 2024 may have just earned him another look in 2026. Whether that is behind the plate or at first base remains to be seen.

Cam Devanney swings and misses at keeping his Pirates roster spot

Cam Devanney was acquired when the Pirates sent veteran utility man Adam Frazier to the Kansas City Royals. At the time, Devanney was having an awesome season with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, slashing .272/.366/.565 with a .402 wOBA and 138 wRC+. The infielder had 18 home runs in just 288 plate appearances and drew walks at an 11.8% rate. He may have had a 24.3% strikeout percentage and 33.8% whiff rate, but the bottom line was promising.

But Devanney’s time with Triple-A Indianapolis saw his production take a nosedive. It was only in a 147-plate-appearance sample size, but Devanney slashed just .256/.327/.363 with a .317 wOBA and 87 wRC+. Devanney’s walk rate plummeted to just 6.8%, while his K% and whiff % came in at 25.2% and 33.7%, respectively. Devanney also hit just two home runs with an isolated slugging percentage of just over .100 at .105.

Despite that poor showing at Indy, the Pirates still opted to promote Devanney, and he has been a mess at the plate thus far. It may only be 35 plate appearances, but he has just four hits and 20 strikeouts with a single walk. His hit tool was the weakest part of his game in the minor leagues, but it’s been a serious issue since his debut. His whiff rate comes in at a whopping 46.9%. The only positive is that Devanney’s raw power has been on display (when he does make contact with the ball) with a 90 MPH exit velocity.

The Pirates may have just acquired Devanney a few months ago, but it’s hard to see him as anything more than a potential DFA candidate. The Pirates already have two solid utility infield options in Jared Triolo and Nick Yorke, both of whom have shown a lot more than Devanney has in the Major Leagues this season. They swing and miss far less often than Devanney has this year, and provide better defense at similar positions.