3 former Pirates starting pitchers who could return and replace Luis Ortiz in 2025

The Pittsburgh Pirates recently traded 2024 breakout starting pitcher Luis Ortiz in order to fill their first base role. Ortiz made 15 starts for the Bucs last year, and was an important piece of their rotation during the second half of the season. The Pirates certainly have a ton of pitching depth, especially with some of their younger arms who could replace Ortiz, and traded from a strength to fill in a gap.

But even with the abundance of young arms coming through the system, the Pirates still should consider adding another starter. Bailey Falter's underlying metrics are sketchy, and the Pirates can't rely on Johan Oviedo to make 20+ starts this year. A steady option in the back of the rotation would not be a bad idea for the Pirates to consider pursuing, even if it shouldn't be one of their top priorities. If they opt to add more depth to replace Ortiz, they might be able to get a discount by having a reunion with one of these three arms.

3 former Pirates who could be imported to replace Luis Ortiz

Charlie Morton

Many have already pinned the Pirates as a potential landing spot for veteran right-hander Charlie Morton (including fellow writer Ethan Fisher). Morton spent parts of seven seasons with the Pirates from 2009 through 2015, so there is already an established connection there. The Pirates also brought in Brent Strom, who is credited with helping Morton break out with the Houston Astros. Morton also reportedly wants to sign with team that has a spring training facility near his home in Bradenton.

Last season, Morton turned in some respectable numbers for the Atlanta Braves, pitching to a 4.16 ERA, 4.46 FIP, and 1.33 WHIP across 165.1 innings pitched. Morton had an above-average 23.8% strikeout rate, but neither his 1.25 HR/9, nor his 9.3% walk rate, were anything to write home about. 

Underlying ERA estimators also liked Morton's work on the mound. He had a 4.06 SIERA and 3.99 xFIP. Morton, who was originally known for his ability to induce ground balls, still induced a decent amount of grounders with a 46.3% GB%. His opponents' average exit velocity sat at 88.7 MPH, which was in the 50th percentile of pitchers from 2024.

But something the Pirates could very much use is a consistent arm. Morton has started at least 30 games in six consecutive seasons (not including the 2020 campaign, which was only 60 games). The Pirates can rely on Morton to go out and take the ball every fifth day without issue, which is something very valuable to a young rotation, especially considering Morton can still provide solid results.