3 Pirates entering their final days in Pittsburgh with 2025 season wrapping up

As the Pittsburgh Pirates head down the final stretch of yet another losing season, a handful of players may soon be playing their final games as a member of the organization as they shift their focus to 2026.

One is on an expiring deal. One has garnered significant trade interest. One has a high likelihood of being non-tendered. Regardless of the reason, there will yet again be notable roster turnover as the Pirates try to figure out who they are and what kind of roster they'd like to build in order to get back to the playoffs.

3 Pirates entering their final days in Pittsburgh with 2025 season nearing the end

Tommy Pham

The Pirates have plenty of younger, more affordable options capable of playing the outfield, including Nick Yorke, Jack Suwinski and Billy Cook. And that's not even considering outfield and shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin – the top prospect in all of baseball – who could make his MLB debut as soon as next year.

Yes, Pham has been racking up the RBIs of late during his second-half surge; but the fact is, he's a 37-year-old pending free agent who was never meant to be a long-term solution in Pittsburgh. If the Pirates want to move forward, having Pham occupy a roster spot hardly helps them achieve their goal.

Mitch Keller

Mitch Keller was widely expected to be moved at the July trade deadline, but there were no suitors willing to meet the Pirates' reportedly high asking price. That doesn't mean that Pittsburgh won't explore the option of moving him again this offseason, though.

Keller is signed through 2028 and has long been one of the Pirates' most durable and reliable starting pitchers, but Pittsburgh's wealth of pitching depth has made him expendable. In addition to a resurgent Johan Oviedo (who is still arbitration eligible), the Pirates have a wealth of young arms including Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows – and that's not including Jared Jones, who will be returning from elbow surgery, or Hunter Barco, who is expected to make his big league debut at some point next year.

Colin Holderman

Right-handed reliever Colin Holderman will be entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, but the Pirates could choose to non-tender him and allow him to become a free agent after what has been the worst season of his career (by far).

Hampered by injuries, Holderman has been limited to just 23 1/3 innings at the Major League level in 2025. In that time, he's pitched to a 7.33 ERA with a pair of blown saves while opposing batters have teed off at a .326 clip against him. Even if he were to rebound to his average next season, Holderman has been too inconsistent and untrustworthy in high-leverage situations to justify bringing him back into the fold.

There are others, but these players stand out as the most glaring options to depart if Pittsburgh is intent on making meaningful changes to their roster.