3 arbitration raises Pirates cannot afford this offseason

The Pittsburgh Pirates have nine players who are under team control and eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, but some of those players are less deserving of their projected pay raises than others based on their performances in 2024.

According to MLBTradeRumors.com's annual salary projections for arbitration-eligible players in 2025, three players in particular may have priced themselves out of Pittsburgh's payroll for next season.

It's worth noting that the majority of MLB clubs wouldn't bat an eye at these numbers, but remember, this is Bob Nutting we're talking about. With that in mind, let's take a look at three arbitration raises the Pirates can't afford in 2025.

3 arbitration raises Pirates cannot afford this offseason

Bryan De La Cruz

Right fielder Bryan De La Cruz, acquired by Pittsburgh in a July deadline deal with the Miami Marlins, made $768,000 in 2024. He was brought in to add some pop to Pittsburgh's batting order, but in 44 games for the Pirates, he batted an abysmal .200 with six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI.

De La Cruz is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason after completing his third full MLB season. Despite his lackluster showing with the Pirates after the trade deadline, MLBTR still projects De La Cruz to earn $4 million – which represents a more than 500% salary increase – in his first year of arbitration.

Aside from All-Star left fielder Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates didn't have another outfielder making $4 million or more in 2024. It's hard to justify offering that to one of the team's biggest disappointments from the previous season.

Connor Joe

Connor Joe's value is in his versatility. He primarily platooned first base with Rowdy Tellez in 2024 but also made a handful of appearances in both left and right field. Joe was already the Pirates' highest-paid outfielder in 2024 not named Reynolds, and he was making $2.125 million with precious little to show for it.

Joe is a fine fielder, but he is coming off a career-worst season at the plate. in which he slashed .228/.320/.368 for an OPS of just .688. He is the type of player that is better deployed off the bench as a utility man, but the Pirates used him as an everyday starter in 2024 and suffered the consequences.

According to MLBTR, Joe is projected to make $3.2 million in arbitration, a raise of just over $1 million from his 2024 salary. That's an awfully big amount (again, by Pirates standards) to pay to an underperforming, part-time bench player.

David Bednar

David Bednar, a two-time All-Star who was widely regarded as one of baseball's top relievers from 2021-23, had such a rocky 2024 campaign that he was demoted from his role as the Pirates' closer in August after blowing seven save attempts and posting a 5.77 ERA.

Despite this, MLBTR's model projects Bednar's salary to jump from $4.51 million to $6.6 million in his second year of arbitration, making it the highest salary of any arbitration-eligible Pirates player this offseason. Injuries may have factored into his poor performance in 2024, but it's still a sizable gamble (by Pirates standards) to wager on a bounce-back season for Bednar.

Bednar may be a hometown hero and a fan favorite, but the penny-pinching Pirates are going to have a hard time justifying a $2.09 million pay raise for a bullpen arm who singlehandedly cost the team numerous wins in 2024.

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