Pittsburgh Pirates: Former Players That Are Currently Free Agents

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Chad Kuhl #39 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 23, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Chad Kuhl #39 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 23, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 24: Jordan Lyles #31 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on July 24, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 24: Jordan Lyles #31 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on July 24, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Starting Pitchers

Only two former Pirates are starting pitchers on the free-agent market. The first is Jameson Taillon. Taillon spent the 2016-2019 seasons with the Bucs but faced bad luck after bad luck, undergoing Tommy John surgery twice and a cancer diagnosis. He’s spent the last two seasons with the New York Yankees and has posted league-average numbers in both seasons. In 2022, Taillon pitched 177.1 innings to the tune of a 3.91 ERA, 3.94 FIP, and 1.13 WHIP.

The other former Pirate starter is Chad Kuhl. Kuhl was part of the Pittsburgh Pirates up until last season. He made his debut in 2016 but underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-2018. After greatly struggling in 2021, the Pirates non-tendered the right-hander, and he then latched on with the Colorado Rockies for one year. While Kuhl got off to a strong start to the season, he eventually fell back down to Earth. All told, he pitched 137 innings and owned a 5.72 ERA, 5.26 FIP, and 1.55 WHIP, all three of which were career worsts.

There are a few other starters who played with the Pirates at least once before. Those include Jose Quintana, Chris Archer, and Jordan Lyles.