3 Pirates players who should be let go, 3 who should replace them on the roster

The Pittsburgh Pirates should have a lot of roster churn this offseason. There is plenty of dead weight they can shed. However, while the MLB roster is in flux, they at least have a lot of talent in the minor league system. Some of their most interesting prospects will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter, and they could easily usurp the spots of some of the Pirates players who currently reside on the Bucs’ 40-man roster, especially given how much the team has struggled.

3 Pirates who should be moving on, and 3 players who should replace them

Colin Holderman’s replacement is on his way

The Pirates acquired Colin Holderman at the 2022 trade deadline, and he quickly established himself as a quality setup man. From the start of 2023 up through the 2024 trade deadline, Holderman pitched to the tune of a 3.02 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 1.30 WHIP. While his 9.4% walk rate wasn’t great, he was striking out just over a quarter of opponents with a 25.4% K%. Plus, he was elite at limiting home runs, with a 0.59 HR/9 ratio, 88.1% exit velocity, and 7.2% barrel rate.

However, since the ‘24 All-Star break, it’s been a pure nightmare for Holderman. Over his last 41.1 innings of work, the right-hander has an ugly 6.75 ERA, 6.27 FIP, and 1.77 WHIP. Both his walk and strikeout rates have moved in the wrong direction, sitting at 12.3% and 15.9%, respectively. Despite maintaining a similar 89.4 MPH exit velocity and 7.4% barrel rate, he has been far more home run prone, with a 1.74 HR/9 ratio. His only saving grace has been his 114 Stuff+, but he has had severe problems with command and execution, causing his Location+ to drop from 95 to 88.

His possible replacement, Brandan Bidois, just had an astounding season. The Pirates signed Bidois out of Australia in 2019, but 2025 marked the first season he was both healthy for most of the year, and effectiveness followed. He logged a career-high 61 innings across all four full-season levels of the minor leagues, posting an 0.74 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 0.80 WHIP. Bidois struck out 30% of opponents and did not allow a single home run. His 11.7% walk rate wasn’t great, but considering how elite he was at everything else, that kind of mark is passable.

Bidois ended the year with a bang, to say the least. He didn’t allow a single run, surrendered just one hit, and struck out over a third of opponents throughout his final 21.1 innings of the year. Bidois was the only minor league pitcher to post a sub-1.00 ERA in at least 60 innings of work. He was also one of nine to toss that many innings without allowing a home run. Since Bidois is Rule 5 eligible, he’ll be added to the 40-man roster this offseason.

It’s time for a new Pirates outfield slugger

Jack Suwinski once looked like he was on his way to becoming an underrated outfielder. After a promising 2022 rookie season, Suwinski built upon his early progress, slashing .224/.339/.454 with 26 home runs and a 112 wRC+ over 534 plate appearances. He may have struck out nearly a third of the time with a 32.2% K%, but he also drew walks at a 14% rate and provided solid defense while mostly patrolling center field.

But the last two seasons have seen Suwinski's production dip dramatically, making him a non-tender candidate. Since the start of 2024, he has only hit .169/.271/.297 with just a dozen home runs in 455 plate appearances. He has continued to strike out at a poor 29.9% rate, while his walk rate has declined to 11.2%. Overall, his wRC+ is just 59. What’s worse is that his defense has also been lost to history. He has -14 defensive runs saved and -9 outs above average. After being a near 3.0 fWAR player in 2023, he has been worth -1.6 over the last two years.

His successor is apparent: Esmerlyn Valdez. Valdez showed off a ton of promise as an A-Ball hitter in 2024, but he took his game to another level in 2025. He opened the year at High-A Greensboro, hitting .303/.385/.592 with an impressive 172 wRC+. It only took Valdez 72 games and 314 plate appearances to swat 20 home runs. Valdez only struck out 24.5% of the time, a massive step forward from the 30.6% rate he had at Bradenton, while posting a respectable 9.9% walk rate.

That earned him a test at Altoona, where he continued to hit well. Valdez hit .260/.363/.409 with a 126 wRC+ at Double-A. While he only hit six home runs in 215 plate appearances, he was playing in a pitcher-friendly environment. Valdez upped his walk rate to 11.6%, while continuing to post a similar 24.7% K%. Valdez capped off his season with a strong home stretch, posting a .847 OPS, .389 wOBA, and 146 wRC+ from the start of August onward. Valdez will also be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, and given how well he did at Double-A, he’ll be in the majors sooner rather than later.

Less depth, more high-end pitching for Pirates

There were plenty of frustrating performances from the 2025 Pirates, but one who seemingly stuck around forever was outfielder Alexander Canario. The Bucs acquired the former top prospect from the New York Mets at the end of March, and he somehow lasted on the Pirates’ active roster for the entire year. However, it’s not as if he deserved that roster spot.

In 234 plate appearances, Canario hit a meager .218/.274/.338 with a .270 wOBA and 68 wRC+. Despite showing elite raw power, with a 12.4% barrel rate and top-of-the-scale bat speed, Canario only went yard six times with a .120 isolated slugging percentage. He struck out in over a third of his plate appearances with a 34.2% K% and a poor 39% whiff rate. He didn’t balance that out with walks either, with just a 7.3% BB% and 32.4% chase rate.

Canario should be making way for more elite pitching talent in the form of Antwone Kelly. Kelly had a massive breakout in 2025, establishing himself as yet another talented arm in a system full of them. In 107.1 innings between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, the right-hander logged a 3.02 ERA, 2.89 FIP, and 1.06 WHIP. He struck out 27.2% of batters with a 7.7% walk rate. He allowed very few home runs as well, with a 0.50 HR/9 ratio.

Kelly was one of the best young pitchers in the minor leagues this season. Among pitchers in their age-21 or younger season who threw at least 100 frames, Kelly ranked in the top five in ERA, FIP, WHIP, K%-BB%, as well as in the top ten in K% and BB%. Kelly was hitting triple-digits and will likely open 2026 at Triple-A. Getting added to the 40-man roster only gets him a step closer to his MLB debut, and there's no reason a dud like Canario should stand in his way.