3 out-of-options pitchers the Pirates should monitor during spring training

Spring training games are just around the corner. The preseason gives plenty of players a chance to fight for a roster spot. However, some of those players are out of options. If a team deems an out-of-options player does not deserve a roster spot on Opening Day, they’ll have to trade them or designate them for assignment. This could lead to some noteworthy players hitting waivers at the end of spring training, unable to be seamlessly assigned to Triple-A.

While the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching staff is the strongest part of their roster, there is no such thing as too much depth. There is definitely room for them to stash a low-risk arm at the back of their bullpen with the hopes of a rebound or breakout in 2025. With that in mind, here are three out-of-options pitchers the Pirates should monitor this spring.

3 out-of-options players the Pirates must monitor during spring training 2025

Triston McKenzie

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie once looked like he was on his way to becoming a top-of-the-rotation arm. In 2022, just his age-24 season, McKenzie put up a 2.96 ERA, 3.51 FIP, and 0.91 WHIP in 191.1 innings of work. McKenzie struck out just over a quarter of opponents with a 25.9% K%, and allowed home runs at a 1.18-per-9-innings rate, but he was great at limiting walks, as the young right-hander dished out a free pass to just 5.9% of opponents.

However, the last two seasons have been a rough go of things for the once promising right-hander. After tossing nearly 200 innings in 2022, he’s combined for a meager 91.2 frames over the next two seasons. When he has been able to take the mound, the performance hasn’t been pretty, with a 5.11 ERA, 6.12 FIP, and 1.56 WHIP. His once elite walk rate has ballooned to 15%, while his K% has dwindled to 21.8%. McKenzie has never been immune to home runs, but his HR/9 is approaching two at 1.96.

As of right now, McKenzie is penciled into the fifth starter role, according to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource, but offseason acquisition Slade Cecconi or the newly signed Jakob Junis could overtake McKenzie for the final rotation spot. The Guardians also have young arms like Parker Messick, Doug Nikhazy, and Joey Cantillo, who could also surpass McKenzie during the preseason. Additionally, Cleveland possesses one of, if not the deepest bullpen in baseball, so McKenzie could be out of luck at the end of ST. The Pirates could slot him into a low-leverage/long-relief role if they opted to claim him.

Angel Perdomo

Pirates fans should be familiar with Angel Perdomo. The southpaw once looked like a great diamond in the rough find by the Bucs. The Pirates signed him to a minor-league contract prior to the 2023 season. He tossed 29 innings and pitched to a 3.72 ERA, 3.01 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP for the Bucs. Perdomo struck out a ton of batters, sporting a 37.6% K% while posting a respectable 9.4% walk rate. Home runs were not much of an issue for him either, with an 0.93 HR/9 despite an 11.9% barrel percentage.

Although Perdomo wasn’t a flamethrower, he sat 93-94 MPH and had a Stuff+ of 103. The lefty had some quality ERA estimators as well. Perdomo ended what looked like a breakout campaign with a 2.62 SIERA, 2.75 xERA, and a 3.15 xFIP, all three of which projected him to be even more successful moving forward. 

But Perdomo’s promising season came crashing down in August. The lefty reliever underwent Tommy John surgery and was subsequently put on waivers. The Pirates opted to non-tender him at the end of the season, and the Atlanta Braves then picked him up on a split contract. Perdomo has yet to pitch since he left an August game against the Minnesota Twins in 2023.

The Braves already have two very good lefty relievers in place: Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee. If the Braves opt to carry three lefty relievers to open 2024, Perdomo will have to compete with Dylan Dodd and some other non-roster invitees. Perdomo definitely has a chance of landing on waivers again, though, and could be someone the Pirates look into re-claiming. The Pirates already have three lefty relievers themselves, but Perdomo could be an upgrade over Joey Wentz.

Forrest Whitley

Forrest Whitley was once a premier prospect across all of baseball. He went into 2019 as a consensus top-10 prospect in the game, with Baseball America ranking him as high as fifth. Unfortunately, his career has been completely derailed since. Multiple injuries and struggles with performance have overtaken the once-promising right-hander.

Although Whitley no longer projects like the ace he once looked like, he is coming off his best season since 2018. He was eventually moved to the bullpen, as 32 of his 33 outings in 2024 were as a reliever. In total, he had a 2.12 ERA, 4.63 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP across 34 innings of work at Triple-A.

Whitley struck out over 30% of his opponents with a 31.5% K%, a roughly league-average 11.6% walk rate, and 1.32 HR/9. Whitley was great at getting swings-and-misses, inducing a 32.2% whiff rate. When batters made contact vs. the right-hander, they managed to put up a meager 83.2 MPH exit velocity, 5.1% barrel percentage, and 55% ground ball rate. That, along with his 22.7% HR:FB ratio, suggests a positive regression for Whitley is forthcoming - not to mention he pitched in a very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, where the average OPS was around .800. 

Whitley is now going into his age-27 season. He finally made his MLB debut last season, tossing three scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Even though Whitley may no longer be the prospect he once was, he was still averaging out at 97 MPH in his big league sample size. Whitley is definitely on the fringe, as FanGraphs lists him as the next to last reliever on the Astros' depth chart. That means Pittsburgh should definitely keep watch here.