Pittsburgh Pirates Needs Now That Lockout is Over

You can never have too much starting pitching

It goes without saying that the Pirate starting rotation is far from a strength for the team right now. Entering spring season free agent addition José Quintana is a lock to make the Opening Day rotation. Righties Miguel Yajure and Bryse Wilson are also safe bets to crack the rotation. The other two spots are up in the air.

Mitch Keller turned heads this offseason by touching 100 MPH on the gun, but Keller has never been able to find consistency in the majors. Wil Crowe spent the majority of the 2021 season in the team’s starting rotation which made it clear is best long-term home is in the bullpen. Dillon Peters made six strong starts down the stretch last season, but may also be best suited for the bullpen.

JT Brubaker should also have an opportunity to crack the Opening Day rotation. However, Brubaker is another pitcher who could end up in the bullpen long-term. Zach Thompson, who was acquired in the Stallings trade, will likely be on the Opening Day roster, but it could be as a reliever. Roansy Contreras should factor into the rotation at some point, but will likely begin the season at Triple-A.

Got all of that?

This team could still use another starting pitching option or two. If nothing else, as the saying goes, you can never have too much starting pitching. The starting rotation is one area Cherington expressed interest in adding to post-lockout as well. This is not to say the Pirates will add more starting pitching help, but they certainly could use it.