4 former division rival players the Pirates should pursue this offseason

Andrew Kittredge

Andrew Kittredge was a 2021 All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays. Unfortunately, he struggled with injuries in the two seasons that followed, appearing in less than 20 games in both years. The Rays then traded Kittredge to the St. Louis Cardinals for the younger brother of Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios, Richie Palacios. Kittredge was able to stay healthy, pitching 70.2 innings out of the Cardinals’ pen in 2024, and he was also effective.

Kittredge owned a 2.90 ERA, 3.96 FIP, and 1.13 WHIP last season. Kittredge had an above-average 23.3% strikeout rate and was good at keeping batters off base via a free pass with a 7% walk rate. Kittredge had an unimpressive 1.27 HR/9 rate. However, there are multiple reasons why he could improve in this department in 2024.

Kittredge induced ground balls at a healthy 45.2% rate and has a career-average GB% approaching 50% (48.8%, to be exact). Kittredge also had some drastic home/away splits. His HR/9 in Busch Stadium was over 2.0 at 2.1. He still had a solid ERA at 3.69 and xFIP at 3.74, which adjusts for outliers in HR/FB ratio, a number that sat at 20.5% in his home ballpark. But, as a guest, Kittredge had a sub-2.00 ERA at 1.71, with a HR/9 of 0.3. His xFIP was 3.51 on the road. 

Like Chafin, Kittredge is also heading into his age-35 season. The right-hander still has effective stuff, with a 116 Stuff+ rating. He primarily served as the Cardinals’ set-up man last year, racking up 37 holds. The Pirates could certainly use another veteran stalwart in their bullpen like Kittredge, especially if he can approach 70 innings again.