3 Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers whose 2026 roles will be decided by offseason moves

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished with a record of just 71-91 in 2025. Many things did not go their way, but one thing that did break right was the performance of their pitching staff. The Pirates’ hurlers finished in the top five in MLB this season in ERA+, bWAR, FIP, and WHIP.

Their pitching staff is deep, so much so that they have some solid pitchers who are heading into the offseason with undefined roles for 2026. Who the Pirates look to acquire or trade away this winter could affect how these three are utilized next year, in what's hopefully a more promising campaign overall.

3 Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers whose roles could change after offseason moves

3. Carmen Mlodzinski

Since the Pirates promoted Carmen Mlodzinski in 2023, he has been used in nearly every possible role you could think of for a pitcher. Starter, long reliever, middle inning reliever, high-leverage, opener, piggyback starter ... you name it, Mlodzinski has done it. His 2025 season could similarly be split into two parts.

The first part constituted the first two months of the season. The Pirates used Mlodzinski as a starter, despite mostly working as a reliever in 2023 and 2024, but the results weren’t pretty. In nine outings and 39.2 innings pitched, the right-hander had a 5.67 ERA, 4.32 FIP, and 1.61 WHIP. While he only walked 6.7% of opponents, his strikeout rate clocked in at a meager 15.6%. Home runs also gave him some trouble, with a 1.13 HR/9 ratio.

The Pirates then sent Mlodzinski down to Triple-A for just under a month before recalling him and putting him in a much more familiar role. Mlodzinski went on to pitch 59.1 innings while posting a 2.12 ERA, 2.65 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP. He continued to maintain a low walk rate of 6.3%, but his strikeout rate rose by nearly 10% to 25.5%. Mlodzinski surrendered far fewer home runs on average, with a sterling 0.46 HR/9.

Mlodzinski was often used for multiple innings at a time out of the pen. All but one of his appearances after getting called back up lasted more than a single frame. He made three more “starts,” though they were more like opens, as only one of his three starts after getting recalled to the Major Leagues lasted four innings.

Regardless of what the Pirates do moving forward, "Mlodzinski the full-time starter" seems to have been ruled out. He’ll likely still get called upon to open games, but will never go more than two or three innings. Mlodzinski was quite dominant out of the pen as a multi-inning reliever. He saved the Pirates’ bullpen multiple times, pitching into the eighth inning or later in 16 of his 25 games after he was promoted in mid-June. 

2. Mike Burrows

Mike Burrows’ journey to the Major Leagues finally paid off in 2025. The 2018 11th-round selection was on the brink of his Major League debut in 2023, but was hindered by Tommy John surgery in early April. Burrows recovered enough to return to the mound halfway through 2024 and even made his MLB debut, pitching 3.1 innings in one game. 

While Burrows was sent to Triple-A to open the year, his performance got him back to the Major Leagues in late May, and he didn’t look back from there. The rookie right-hander tossed 96 innings while pitching to the tune of a 3.94 ERA, 4.00 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP. Burrows made 19 starts, but also appeared out of the bullpen four times, for a total of 23 appearances.

All of Burrows’ ERA estimators said he performed as expected. Aside from FIP, xFIP pinned him at 3.86, while SIERA was in agreement at 3.87. Nearly everything Burrows did, he did at an above-average rate. He struck out 24.1% of opponents with a 7.7% walk rate. His 1.18 HR/9 and 89.2 MPH exit velocity were also just above the average. The only stat he struggled mightily in was barrel percentage, which sat in the 12th percentile.

As of right now, it seems like Burrows would be the odd man out in the Pirates’ rotation. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, Johan Oviedo, and Braxton Ashcraft seemingly have all five spots locked up. Such a decision could also be used to limit Burrows’ workload. Despite getting drafted in 2018, 2025 marks the first year he reached 100 innings pitched.

However, there is still a chance the Pirates trade Keller this offseason. If that happens, Burrows has a substantial likelihood of getting a chance to start the year in the rotation, or at least be in competition for the final spot with the following name.

1. Hunter Barco

The Pirates drafted Hunter Barco out of the University of Florida with their second-round pick in 2022. However, Barco wouldn’t make his MiLB debut until late in the 2023 season, as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. A promising 2024 campaign led to him entering 2025 as a top-10 prospect in the Pirates’ system, and his performance between Altoona and Indianapolis only reinforced his ranking.

Barco pitched 99.1 innings, putting up a 2.81 ERA, 3.54 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP. The southpaw struck out a healthy amount of opposing batters, with a 27.8% K%. His 11.8% walk rate isn’t going to impress anyone, but most of his struggles with free passes came at Triple-A, where they use the fully automated ABS. Barco got plenty of ground balls and limited home runs well, with a 45.8% GB% and 0.45 HR/9.

Barco made his MLB debut on Sept. 24, and while he only pitched three innings in two games, it was a promising first impression. Barco only allowed three hits and struck out three opponents. None of the dozen batters he faced drew a walk, either. Barco flashed some impressive stuff, with a sinker that sat 93-95 MPH, a mid-80s splitter, and a low-80s slider, all of which came from a low 22-degree arm slot.

If the Pirates don’t trade Keller, Barco may end up in the Pirates’ pen. The Pirates don’t have a left-handed reliever under contract for 2026, and Barco could be an in-house solution, one that could go multiple innings at a time. But if they do trade Keller, it’s possible we see him in the Opening Day rotation.

Burrows may have an upper hand in a Spring Training duel for the fifth rotation spot, given his solid numbers while mostly working as a starter in 2025. But the Pirates would more than likely allow Barco the opportunity to usurp him from that position. There's also the possibility the Pirates trade him, as he's the most likely to get moved among their top 100 prospects.