3 Pirates players who will finally be replaced by prospects in 2026

As exciting as adding new prospects to a big-league club is, it also means having to bid goodbye to a handful of veterans. The Pirates’ farm system has quite a few prospects ready for the next level, and as they rise, these three Bucs could find themselves out of a job.

Outfielder Jack Suwinski

Perhaps the most obvious player on the chopping block is Jack Suwinski. You could make the argument that he should have been let go last season, and you would probably have been right. Unfortunately, the Pirates’ outfield prospects weren’t quite ready to tackle the big time, so Pittsburgh endured another 59 games in which Suwinski hit .147 with a .534 OPS.

A few familiar faces are likely to be displaced by prospects in the near future.

The acquisition of Alexander Canario at the end of March did a bit to displace Suwinski, but the rise of Sammy Siani will be the final nail in the coffin. Just 24 years old, Siani rose from Low-A to Triple-A this season and didn’t seem fazed at all by the increasingly difficult competition. Once top prospect Konnor Griffin works his way into the upper levels, the pressure will really be on Suwinski, but I doubt he’ll even be around at that point.

Catcher/First Baseman Endy Rodríguez

Who will be the go-to catcher for the Pirates for the foreseeable future: Endy Rodríguez or Henry Davis? That seemed to be the question for the better part of the past few years, but Joey Bart has been undeniable on defense and has proven himself capable on offense. Now that Rafael Flores has pushed his way into the picture, things have become even more complicated.

Given that Flores can play (and has been playing) first base, carrying Bart and Davis makes sense for the Pirates, but Rodríguez, who has spent the better part of two years on the injured list, suddenly looks less valuable.

For a time, the plan seemed to be that Rodríguez would man first base and occasionally catch, but with Flores filling the exact same role, there seems little use for the oft-injured Rodríguez.

Pitcher Johan Oviedo

As much as it pains me to say it, given Johan Oviedo’s strong finish after a nightmare couple of seasons. He’s looking like the odd man out, even if the Pirates trade Mitch Keller and open a rotation spot. There just isn’t enough room for Paul Skenes, Mike Burrows, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and the up-and-coming pitching prospects like Thomas Harrington, Hunter Barco, and Po-Yu Chen. That’s not even including Jared Jones coming back from injury.

Oviedo has two more years of control left. Perhaps the Pirates can parlay his impressive return into returns of their own. It’s time for Pittsburgh to part ways with a few of their pitchers in order to solidify other areas of the roster.