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Pittsburgh Pirates: Left-Handed Bullpen Free Agent Options

By Noah Wright |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Zack Britton #53 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Zack Britton #53 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 18: Catcher Henry Davis (R), who was selected first overall in the 2021 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, poses with General Manager Ben Cherington after signing a contract with the Pirates during a press conference at PNC Park on July 18, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 18: Catcher Henry Davis (R), who was selected first overall in the 2021 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, poses with General Manager Ben Cherington after signing a contract with the Pirates during a press conference at PNC Park on July 18, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Pirates need left-handed bullpen help, but what kind of options do the Bucs have avaiable to them?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have zero left-handed pitchers on their 40-man roster. After letting Manny Banuelos hit free agency, they are left with no options, either out of the bullpen or out of the rotation. Internal options do not provide much hope either, as their relief prospects are mostly right-handed, save for Tyler Samaniego.

The Pirates need to go after a left-handed bullpen option on the market, whether that be through free agency or trade. I want to go through each, going from the best to rebound candidates and other low-cost options. There are a lot of pitchers to talk about, so let’s get things started.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 02: Andrew Chafin #37 of the Detroit Tigers delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on August 2, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Tigers defeated the Twins 5-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 02: Andrew Chafin #37 of the Detroit Tigers delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on August 2, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Tigers defeated the Twins 5-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Top Of The Line

Andrew Chafin is the best left-handed relief option on the market. The veteran reliever turned in a dominant season with a 2.83 ERA, 3.06 FIP, and 1.17 WHIP. Chafin struck out 27.6% of batters faced with a 7.8% walk rate. He also had a 51.3% ground ball rate and allowed just five home runs in 57.1 innings of work. The underlying numbers liked him too, as he had a 3.27 xFIP and 2.97 SIERA.

The next best option is arguably Taylor Rogers. Rogers is coming off a season in which he could have been a lot better. Despite a 4.76 ERA, Rogers owned a 3.22 FIP, 3.26 xFIP, 2.60 SIERA, and 86 DRA-. Rogers also struck out a whopping 30.7% of batters faced with a walk rate of just 6.6%. It’s not as if he gave up a ton of home runs either, with a 0.98 HR/9. Rogers was simply unlucky in 2022 and a prime rebound candidate for 2023. He also has a decent history of being a dominant high-leverage reliever.

The third reliever I consider more of a higher-end option is Matt Moore. Moore pitched to a 1.95 ERA, 2.98 FIP, and 1.18 WHIP in the lefty’s first year solely out of the bullpen. Moore struck out 27.3% of the batters he faced, which was a career-high.

His 0.36 HR/9 was also a career-best. But luck did play a hand in Moore’s success. He had a 3.87 xFIP and 3.69 SIERA and danced around a 12.5% walk rate. Moore had a .257 batting average on balls in play and a 4.2% HR/FB ratio. But he did limit hard contact to an above-average rate and is still one of the better LHP options available. If he cuts down his walks to below 10%, he’ll be effective in 2023.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 02: Brad Hand #52 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning in Game Four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 02, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 02: Brad Hand #52 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning in Game Four of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 02, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

Serviceable Veterans

Brad Hand isn’t the dominant southpaw he was during his time in San Diego or Cleveland, but he can still contribute to a major league bullpen. In 45 innings for the NL pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies, Hand worked to a 2.80 ERA, 3.94 FIP, and 1.33 WHIP. Hand had a sub-par 19.2% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate but allowed just two home runs. But what is worrying is his 4.90 xFIP and 4.51 SIERA. Hand had a 4.2% HR/FB ratio even though he had a pretty average batted ball profile but only a 27.7% hard-hit rate. It’s questionable at best if he can repeat a sub-3.00 ERA season, but he is still a serviceable lefty regardless.

Will Smith is a veteran looking for some consistency next season. Smith started off the season with a 4.38 ERA, 5.22 FIP, and 1.51 WHIP with the Atlanta Braves. However, after being dealt to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline, Smith would go on to finish the season out strong with a 3.27 ERA, 2.66 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. On average, he struck out six batters for every free pass and allowed just two home runs in 22 innings of work. Granted, he did have a 90.2 MPH exit velocity, but the underlying numbers support his second half with a 3.09 xFIP and 2.83 SIERA.

Matt Strahm is another decent lefty on the market. Last season, Strahm pitched 44.2 innings for the Boston Red Sox, working to a 3.83 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. He had a healthy 26.9% strikeout rate with an 8.8% walk rate but a mediocre 1.01 HR/9. He could benefit from a less home-run friendly park in 2023. Strahm did keep batters to an 87.5 MPH exit velo, and SIERA supports he can be slightly better in 2023 with a 3.30 mark.

Jarlin Garcia posted an ERA+ of 100 or better in the last four campaigns. Last year, Garcia worked to a 3.74 ERA but 4.27 FIP and 1.20 WHIP in 65 innings. Although Garcia tied his career-low walk rate at 6.7% and his 20.7% strikeout rate sat right in line with his career average, Garcia allowed home runs at a 1.38-per-9 pace. SIERA viewed him fondly at 3.78, but xFIP pinned him at 4.25. If Garcia can get his home run rate down next season, he’d definitely be worth the investment.

An underrated name to watch is Scott Alexander. Injuries have plagued Alexander the last two seasons, but when he has pitched, he’s been effective. In his last 32.2 innings of work, Alexander has worked to a 1.93 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP. Alexander is not a strikeout pitcher whatsoever, with a 13.8% K-rate, but he has an elite 3.8% walk rate in 2021-2022 (including an even better 1.6% BB% this past season in 17.1 innings). He’s also been pretty decent at limiting home runs with a .83 HR/9. On top of that, he has a solid 3.51 xFIP and 3.16 SIERA. Alexander is a pitcher the Pirates should heavily pursue as he’s arguably the best low-cost veteran available.

DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 18: Pitcher Jose Alvarez #48 of the San Francisco Giants throws against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning at Coors Field on May 18, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 18: Pitcher Jose Alvarez #48 of the San Francisco Giants throws against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning at Coors Field on May 18, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Low-Risk Low-Cost Options

Zack Britton is looking for a bounce-back year after missing nearly all of the last two seasons. He’s pitched a combined 19 innings in 2021 and 2022, including appearing in just three games in 2022. The last time fans got to watch Britton, though, he was still highly effective. He worked to a 1.90 ERA, 3.47 FIP, and 1.11 WHIP for the New York Yankees between 2019 and 2020. Britton might be willing to take a minor league deal, as he’s barely pitched in two seasons and is now entering his age-36 campaign. How much is left in the tank is unknown at this point for the single-season reliever ERA leader.

A rebound candidate to target is Jose Alvarez. While Alvarez is coming off a rough season in which he gave up nine earned runs in just 15.1 innings for the San Francisco Giants, he was the definition of both durable and consistently good from 2015 through 2021. In those seven seasons, he appeared in 60+ games (minus 2020) and pitched to an ERA+ of 109 or greater in each. All told, he had a 3.15 ERA, 3.48 FIP, and 1.28 WHIP in 366 innings.

One interesting arm that wouldn’t be terrible on a minor league deal is Anthony Gose. A former top prospect outfielder, Gose started transitioning to the mound in 2017. After a decent season at Triple-A in 2021, Gose made his major league pitching debut, tossing 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run, walking just two, and striking out nine.

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Gose was unable to follow that up, allowing 11 earned runs in 21 innings, letting up 14 free passes, and four home runs. But Gose averages out at 96-100 MPH with a slider with nearly 40 inches of vertical movement. There are worse players to have on a minor league deal. He’s the definition of low-risk and high-reward.

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