3 nightmare roster scenarios for Pirates heading towards spring training

Spring training begins this week for pitchers and catchers, yet their are still a lot of possibilities in the air regarding what can happen to the Pirates' roster. Although their roster appears to be completed following the offseason (and especially the addition of Tommy Pham), there are still various roster scenarios at play that could hurt the team more than help them.

Heading into spring training, let's examine three nightmares that could happen to the Pirates' roster over the course of the next month.

Pirates cannot afford these three nightmare scenarios to start 2025 MLB season

Ji Hwan Bae being slotted in as Pirates' utility guy

Over the course of the last few seasons, Ji Hwan Bae has gotten multiple opportunities in Pittsburgh. He has made some very electric plays and had some key hits, but overall, Bae has not been good enough to earn a spot on the big league roster. He has dominated pitching down in Triple-A, yet barely any of that success has translated to the majors.

Even with all of his struggles and the Pirates' roster moves this offseason, Bae has remained on the big league roster. There is a possibility that he is the odd man out when Tommy Pham is officially added, but for now, he remains on the 40-man.

That leaves the opportunity for him to earn a spot on Pittsburgh's Opening Day roster, and that would be a bad situation. His career wRC+ of 65, .600 OPS, and barrel rate of 3.4% just cannot be what the Pirates are rostering in an all-important season. His base stealing ability (33 career) is a nice touch, but he doesn't get on base enough to take advantage of it. Pittsburgh cannot affrod for him to be the utility man this season.

Henry Davis winning Pirates' backup job over Endy Rodríguez

On Opening Day of 2024, Henry Davis was slotted in as the Pirates' catcher, but that backfired completely, resulting in multiple demotions to Triple-A. With an already shaky offense, starting Davis at the big league level at any point this season would represent a major risk, and they would be better off with Endy Rodríguez.

Last season, Davis put together a wRC+ of 30 and an OPS of .453 at the MLB level. Although Rodríguez has not played in the majors since his rookie stint in 2023, his defensive abilities behind the plate are the best on the roster right now. Additionally, Rodríguez's rookie season, in which he carried a wRC+ of 65 and an OPS of .677, was much better than what Davis provided last season.

Overall, though, Davis just simply should not be the backup come Opening Day. There is still a chance the Pirates bring back Yasmani Grandal, but for now, the choice should plainly be a post-rehab Rodríguez.

Caleb Ferguson getting converted to a starting pitcher

As soon as the Pirates brought in Caleb Ferguson, Alex Stumpf presented the idea that he might get converted to a starter during spring training. There are a few positives to that decision if they do follow through with that rumor, but it would still be a mistake, given the players the Pirates already have rostered.

Ferguson has not thrown over 61 innings in a season yet in his career, and has battled injuries in his current role. Testing his health with more innings would be very risky, especially when the Pirates have multiple options at starting pitcher like Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, and Braxton Ashcraft, who have all done well in Triple-A.

With all the options that they have, it would not make a whole lot of sense to risk Ferguson's ability to pitch in 2025, especially since he will be a go-to left hander in the current bullpen structure. There are other guys that can make a strong impact as a starter without much of a fuss, so converting Ferguson might be a mistake.