3 Pirates prospects who will be traded by the end of the offseason

Mike Burrows

Mike Burrows is another member of the Pirates’ 2018 draft class. Burrows made his MLB debut late into the 2024 season, appearing in just one game and pitching 3.1 innings, but the last two seasons haven’t treated Burrows kindly in totality. He had Tommy John surgery in April 2023 and didn’t return to action until June of this past season.

His numbers at Triple-A weren’t horrible upon his return. He had a 4.06 ERA with a 26.9% K% and 8.9% walk rate. Unfortunately, he was prone to home runs with a 1.67 HR/9 rate. Burrows had an unimpressive 4.65 FIP and 1.41 WHIP in a small sample, but he only pitched 37.2 innings, topping five frames just twice in 10 appearances.

Burrows’ stuff has always looked decent. His four-seamer averages out around 94-95 MPH with above-average movement. His high-spin curveball is one of his best offerings. One of Burrows’ most promising pursuits has been the development of his slider and changeup. Burrows initially looked like a two-pitch pitcher when he was younger, but his changeup is now a potentially above-average pitch, and he’s incorporated a slider into his pitch mix as well.

Like Ashcraft, it’s a question of long-term durability for Burrows. His Tommy John surgery in early 2023 severely limited what he could do in 2024. But Burrows did make his MLB debut, which is a big positive, and now might be the best time possible to trade him after he was given a chance to show off his stuff at the MLB level.