4 Pirates from last year's team who will be missed, 4 who won't

Over the past year, the Pirates have made some interesting moves, whether that be acquiring an uncharacteristic rental at the deadline, non-tendering a guy they gave two top-20 prospects for, and even designating a player for assignment just short of a bonus. No matter any outside opinions on any of those transactions, there are some that look very good for the organization, and some that were just terrible.

Let's take a look at eight players that were on the Pirates last season, examining four players that the Pirates wish they had for the 2025 season and another four that we are glad are gone.

Which players from the 2024 Pirates will be missed, and who will be forgotten?

Luis Ortiz will be missed by the Pirates in 2025

To acquire the future of first base in Pittsburgh, the Pirates had to give up Luis Ortiz, who put together a solid season in 2024, really breaking out and emerging as a starter. His 3.32 ERA, with a WHIP of 1.11 and opposing batting average of .216, will be something that the Pirates must replace. His advanced metrics are not great, which justifies the decision to move him, but nonetheless, he still put together a productive season that Pittsburgh hopes they can replicate from someone else.

Another major leaguer who got let go a little early was Brent Honeywell Jr., a pitcher who claims he throws a remarkable 15 pitches. He was actually effective for Pittsburgh, but they designated him for assignment after posting a 2.70 ERA in just two outings. The Dodgers took advantage, claimed him, and he got a World Series win with them, yet also improved his ERA.

It dipped to 2.62, alongside a WHIP of 1.11, and an FIP of 4.27. That is nothing to sneeze at from a fungible reliever, especially for a waiver claim. He is still a free agent, so maybe he returns, but he was certainly an underrated arm the Pirates could have used moving forward.

When the Pirates acquired Jalen Beeks from the Rockies, there was a lot of excitement, given that Pittsburgh was buying at the deadline, but at first, fans didn't realize what they'd given up. Luis Peralta was the prospect sent to Colorado, and he allowed just seven earned runs in the entire 2024 season with both organizations, including just one at the MLB level. He dominated across many levels, and would have been a solid, young left-hander to keep.

The last player that will be missed is Patrick Reilly, the young arm given up to acquire Billy Cook at the deadline. In just his second year of professional baseball, Reilly showed how high his ceiling was with an impressive 2024 across both organizations, posting an ERA of 3.47 with a K/9 of 11.01 and a WHIP of 1.18. His stuff is really dominant and hitters struggle against it, but he does walk a lot of batters. Nonetheless, he has a ton of upside that could be great for Pittsburgh to have molded down the road.

Players Pirates fans will not miss: Sorry, Ben Heller

Now let's jump into the players we will not miss, starting with Ben Heller. Like Reilly, he brings a lot of great pitches to the table, but his problem was getting tagged by opponents. Heller posted an ERA of 11.25 and a WHIP of 2.08. That is just awful, and even though he does bring some upside, his ineffectiveness hurt the Pirates at a crucial time of the year.

Following him is another pitcher who saw a few outings in Pittsburgh: Jake Woodford. The veteran right-hander did string together a few solid outings, but he also was very boom or bust, ending as a bust with a 7.09 ERA and an opposing batting average of .287. Hitters just did not struggle against him and he got hit around a lot, making him unproductive and unmemorable.

Outfield was a position of need last offseason, and the Pirates pounced on Edward Olivares from the Royals to fill in the hole. There were some high expectations from his bat, but he came out and produced a wRC+ of 73 with an OPS of .624. That poor showing sent him overseas to continue his career in Asia, so we can see how much of a failure that was.

Last, but certainly not the least aggravating, is the big outfield pickup from the trade deadline in Bryan De La Cruz. He was expected to be that guy in the lineup that could really hit home runs, but in his few months in Pittsburgh, he hit just three. Not only did he not have a whole lot of power, but his wRC+ was just 37 and his OPS was just .514. That pickup did not work out, and is why he was non-tendered.