Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Relievers to Watch This Spring

All three of these relievers could be big parts of this team’s bullpen this season.  All three of them have power stuff, and very well could set up the back end of the bullpen for this season.  Obviously  with Kela being the closer, the other two could fill into the seventh and eighth inning roles.

It will be interesting to see how Edgar Santana rebounds from his Tommy-John surgery.  He has had plenty of time off and the belief is that he will not be limited entering spring training.  Hopefully, he still has his mid 90s velocity to go along with his big-time slider.  The same can be said for Burdi as he comes back from his bicep injury.  If both of them have the same stuff they had before their injuries, then they very well could take a step forward.

Kela is the most important of the three pitchers.  Obviously, having a power closer who can perform consistently is very important.  If the team is winning games, then they obviously need someone they can rely on to shut the door.  If the team falls from contention, Kela could become a very attractive trade chip in July.

Furthermore, he is a free agent after this season and could be a very valuable trade chip to a team looking to infuse more young talent into the organization.  Teams in division races are always looking for high leverage bullpen arms.  If Kela can perform up to standards, the Bucs may have the hottest commodity on the relief market.