4 notable Pirates prospects who will be fighting for 40-man roster spots this year

2025 will be a big year for multiple Pittsburgh Pirates prospects. Bubba Chandler could make his debut, Konnor Griffin will look to get his first taste of professional baseball, and other lesser names like Carlson Reed and Hunter Barco will look to follow up their strong 2024 seasons with another quality campaign. Among the madness, the Pirates have some other top prospects who will be fighting for a 40-man roster spot as the Rule 5 Draft looms.

Any prospect who was signed at age 18 or younger five or more years ago, or at 19 or older at least four years ago, is eligible for the 2025 Rule 5 draft. The Pirates didn’t add anyone to their 40-man roster, nor did they have anyone taken from their farm system during the last Rule 5 draft. However, 2025 could be a different story, depending on who gets a 40-man roster spot. Anyone left unprotected can be stolen by another team, and will remain on that new team's roster as long as they maintain a 26-man roster spot.

Note that Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington are also going to be eligible for the draft in 2025. However, since they are two of the Pirates’ best prospects and reached Triple-A last year, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll make their MLB debut at some point in 2025. Even if they don’t, they’re also guaranteed a 40-man roster spot; the Pirates will not be leaving them unprotected. The players discussed here haven’t reached that high of a level yet, but could in 2025, making maintaining them essential.

4 notable Pirates players who could earn 40-man roster spots with strong 2025 seasons

4. Wilber Dotel

The Pirates signed Wilber Dotel as an international prospect during the 2020-2021 offseason. The right-hander has steadily climbed the minor league ladder, and pitched his entire 2024 season at High-A Greensboro. While his bottom line was not that impressive, Dotel made notable strides forward last season, and 2025 will be a big chance for him to prove himself.

In 106.1 innings, Dotel owned a 5.33 ERA, 5.77 FIP, and 1.43 WHIP. He had both a subpar 22.8% strikeout rate and an 11.6% walk rate, though home runs gave Dotel the most trouble. He allowed 1.78 home runs per nine innings, which was the second highest mark among High-A pitchers who started at least 18 games in 2024. While scuffling on the surface, Dotel’s biggest improvements were in his pitch mix.

In 2023, Dotel was only sitting around 92-93 MPH with Bradenton, but last season, he was sitting closer to 95-96 MPH and is now able to hit 100 MPH. Dotel is able to slow things down with his 92-94 MPH two-seamer, and he’ll also mix in a slider and changeup. All of his pitches project as average or better, with his fastball coming in at a 60 grade, according to Baseball America. Still, control can be an issue at times. Baseball America projects him similarly to Luis Ortiz.

The stuff alone should get Dotel an inside track at a 40-man roster spot. The Pirates shouldn’t just leave a pitcher who can hit 100 MPH unprotected and available for free, basically. Regardless, 2025 will be a big year for Dotel. He should open the year at Double-A, which will be a real test of his ability. Fans should have some faith in Dotel’s ability to sharpen his command while keeping up his velocity gains, especially given how well the Pirates have developed other hard throwers over the last few years.