5 older free agents the Pirates should sign this offseason

Andrew Kittredge

Andrew Kittredge is another older reliever the Pirates should set their sights on. The division rival St. Louis Cardinals acquired Kittredge last offseason from the Tampa Bay Rays. Although the right-hander was a former All-Star, Kittredge missed a good portion of 2022 and 2023, but he rebounded in a big way in 2024.

Kittredge pitched over 70 innings, notching 70.2 frames while working to a 2.80 ERA, 3.96 FIP, and 1.13 WHIP. He had an above-average 23.3% strikeout rate, along with a quality 7% walk rate. Kittredge was prone to the home run occasionally, with a HR/9 of 1.27. Underlying numbers also suggest Kittredge is a solid pitcher with a 3.64 xFIP and 3.50 SIERA.

Kittredge's stuff plays at a high level, and he earned a 116 Stuff+ rating last season. However, a big positive from his campaign was his ability to work effectively in higher leverage. He recorded 37 holds, which was the second-most in baseball. Kittredge's leverage index was 1.72, which was the 25th best among relievers this season with at least 50 innings pitched out of the pen. 

But he was one of the few set-up men with that high of a leverage index. He, along with Hunter Harvey, David Robertson, Yennier Cano, and Ryan Pressley, had a leverage index of 1.70 or greater while recording fewer than 10 saves. Despite his high hold total, he only ended up closing out a single game this year.

MLB Trade Rumors sees Kittredge making $14 million over two seasons for an AAV of $7 million. Next year will be his age-35 campaign, making him just old enough to appear on this list. Not only would the Pirates be adding a decent and affordable set-up man to their bullpen by signing Kittredge, but they'd also be taking one away from the St. Louis Cardinals.