5 potential recently released hidden gems the Pirates should pursue

The end of the MLB season has formally arrived, and teams have already begun their fall cleaning. Many players have been released or elected free agency over the last few days, primarily minor league free agents. That opens up a ton of opportunities for the Pittsburgh Pirates to not only add depth, but to take a chance on players who still have upside on minor-league deals (these would not count against the 40-man roster).

These five players make the most sense for the Pirates to pick up after they were let go by their former teams, whether because the Pirates need depth at the positions they play, or because they have something the Pirates could hopefully build upon in 2026.

5 recently released players who could land with Pittsburgh Pirates

Michael Grove

Nothing about former Dodgers pitcher Michael Grove over the last three years inherently stands out. Since the start of his 2023 rookie season, Grove has pitched 120 innings with a 5.70 ERA. Batters also regularly found the barrel against Grove, with a below-average 89 MPH exit velocity and 9.2% barrel rate, resulting in a 1.35 HR/9 ratio. The right-hander also underwent shoulder surgery in March, which ended his 2025 campaign before it even began. He was one of a handful of players the Dodgers released this past week.

However, despite poor results, the stuff under the hood suggests there might be more there. Grove’s peripherals were solid. He struck out 24.5% of batters while only walking 6.8%. His FIP came in at 4.15, over a run and a half lower than his ERA. Other ERA estimators were even more bullish on Grove’s actual abilities.

Both SIERA and xFIP pinned him as a sub-4.00 ERA pitcher, at 3.68 and 3.85, respectively. Grove primarily worked as a starter in 2023 and a long reliever/spot starter in 2024. He could significantly benefit from moving to a bullpen full-time. He has a 3.57 FIP, a 25.6% strikeout rate, and a 6% walk rate the first time facing opponents. The second time around, he has a 6.35 FIP, 18.5% strikeout percentage, and 8.9% walk rate. 

Moving to the bullpen more frequently in 2024 helped Grove gain velocity on all of his offerings. He uses a five-pitch mix, with his slider, curveball, cutter, and fastball all having above-average movement. Only his sinker displayed below-average break, but it went from 94.6 MPH in 2023 to 96 MPH in 2024. With how well the Pirates have turned around struggling pitchers, Grove would be a very low-risk/high-reward minor league signee.

Jose Miranda

Jose Miranda started off his career with a solid 2022 rookie season with the Minnesota Twins, batting .268/.325/.429 with a .329 wOBA and 116 wRC+. He hit for about average power, going yard 15 times over 483 plate appearances, while posting a .158 isolated slugging percentage. He only drew a walk 5.8% of the time, but struck out at an 18.8% pace.

While Miranda struggled through a sophomore slump in 2023, he rebounded and posted similar numbers in 2024 to his rookie campaign, slashing .284/.322/.441 with a .328 wOBA and 114 wRC+. Once again, his power output was about average, with nine dingers over 429 trips to the plate, and a .157 isolated slugging percentage. While Miranda’s already low walk rate dipped even further to 4.2%, his strikeout rate moved in the right direction to 15.5%.

2025 was mostly a lost season for Miranda. He only appeared in a dozen MLB games, collecting just six hits, including a single home run, over 36 plate appearances with no walks and 13 Ks. The Twins eventually optioned Miranda in mid-April, just before he encountered an unusual injury, dropping a case of water while shopping at Target and suffering a left-hand strain. He missed just under a month, but it’s not as if he was playing well once he returned to the field. Miranda only had a 49 wRC+ in 371 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

Miranda has to hit to provide value. His defense at third base is poor, with only +1 defensive run saved, but -14 outs above average. He has nearly 700 innings at first base as well, but has been just as bad across the diamond, with -6 DRS and -4 OAA. Even in 2024, when he was an above-average hitter, he provided just +1.0 fWAR.

Still, the Pirates need corner infield depth. Miranda has two seasons under his belt during which he was an above-average hitter in a non-insignificant sample. Miranda was outrighted off the Twins’ 40-man roster, then headed into minor league free agency. The Pirates are starved for offense, and having a depth piece who has been a solid hitter for two seasons would represent a step in the right direction.

Sean Hjelle

Sean Hjelle is a towering 6’11”, 250-pound right-handed pitcher who showed some promise in 2024. He was primarily used in a long relief role, totaling 80 innings in 58 appearances, and working to a 3.90 ERA, 3.63 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP. While his 22.3% strikeout rate and 1.12 HR/9 were only about league average, he had just a 4.2% walk rate, and was in the 86th percentile of barrel rate at 5.3%. 

There was plenty to suggest Hjelle could be even better in 2025, given his outstanding 2.81 SIERA, 3.01 xFIP, and an impressive 107 Stuff+. Unfortunately, the Giants didn’t seem to agree. They optioned Hjelle to the minor leagues to open the year, and didn't recall him until June. He struggled badly, allowing 13 earned runs, 21 hits, and nine walks in only 15 innings. The Giants eventually designated him for assignment when they acquired three players from the New York Mets at the trade deadline in exchange for fellow reliever Tyler Rogers.

Hjelle pitched well in the minor leagues all season. In 67 innings, he put up a 3.06 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP. He struck out nearly a quarter of opponents, with a 24.6% K% to go along with a 24.3% whiff rate, and continued to limit walks well, with a 5.6% BB%. Avoiding home runs was Hjelle’s strongest suit, with a 0.27 HR/9, 6.1% barrel percentage, and an exit velocity of only 86.1 MPH.

He did all of that in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Among hurlers with at least 60 IP in the PCL, Hjelle had the tenth-best K%, the fourth-lowest BB%, the third-best K%-BB% and K:BB ratio, the second-best ERA and WHIP, and the best FIP and HR/9. Given how well he pitched in 2024 and the fact that he was one of the best pitchers in the PCL this past season, it would be a no-brainer for the Pirates to pick up Hjelle if they have the chance to.

Matt Allan

Grove, Miranda, and Hjelle have all appeared in the major leagues. Matt Allan has not. The right-hander was considered one of the best players in the 2019 draft class and fell to the New York Mets in the third round. They signed him to a massive signing bonus at the time, and he made a great first impression. It was only 10.1 innings between Rookie-Ball and Low-A, but he only allowed three earned runs while striking out 14 opponents.

After the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID, Allan and the Mets went into 2021 with high hopes. He was ranked as a consensus top 100 prospect, but things quickly went off the rails. Between Tommy John surgery, ulnar transposition surgery, and Tommy John revision surgery, Allan would miss the next four minor league seasons. He finally returned to the mound this past season, once again pitching well in the small sample size.

In 20 innings between A-Ball and High-A, Allan only allowed eight earned runs, a single home run, and 15 hits, striking out 23 opponents. Walks were a major question mark during the latest step of his recovery process, though, as he dished out 16 free passes. Allan still showed he had decent stuff while working his way back, flashing a mid-90s fastball with above-average movement. The right-hander also mixed in a sinker, sweeper, cutter, and changeup. 

The Mets released Allan this past week, leaving his once-promising future up in the air once again. Allan would be a great feel-good story if he could make a full comeback in 2026 and eventually make his MLB debut in the near future. The Pirates have also done well developing pitchers who have missed significant time, like Braxton Ashcraft. The Bucs are arguably one of the best-suited teams to attempt to develop Allan at this point in his career.

Juan Yepez

Juan Yepez made his MLB debut in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals, putting up above-average numbers at the plate. He slashed .253/.296/.447 with a .337 wOBA and a 107 wRC+ over 274 plate appearances. Yepez provided some pop, going yard a dozen times with a .194 isolated slugging percentage. His 22.3% K% was only about average, and it didn’t help that he had just a 5.8% walk rate. But for a platoon corner infielder/outfielder, his overall production was solid.

However, Yepez struggled badly in 2023 and was released at the end of the season. That’s when the Washington Nationals swooped in and picked him up. Yepez returned to being a solid part-timer, hitting .283/.335/.429 with a .331 wOBA and 112 wRC+ in 246 trips to the plate. Yepez did not hit for as much power, with only six homers and a .146 ISO. However, he upped his walk rate to 7.2% and lowered his strikeout percentage to 16.9%.

However, the Nats still sent Yepez to Triple-A to open 2025. He struggled with both his health and his performance. When Yepez took the field, he only posted a .651 OPS, .298 wOBA, and 77 wRC+ in 284 plate appearances. He also missed all of July and the first half of August. Yepez had just a 2.2% barrel rate, but at the very least, posted a solid 9.2% walk rate and an outstanding 12.3% strikeout rate. Yepez did not play in the major leagues this season and was designated for assignment during June.

Yepez has seen playing time at first and third base, as well as in left and right field. His outfield defense is poor, to say the least, with -6 DRS and -10 OAA in just 349.2 innings. He has played less than 100 innings at third base in MLB, but has over 1,000 innings of experience at the hot corner in the minor leagues. Most of his playing time has come at first base, where he has -2 DRS and -3 OAA.

Like Miranda, most of Yepez’s value comes from his bat, and he has two seasons of data where he was a solid hitter in the major leagues. The Pirates still need to find offense anywhere they can. Yepez obviously wouldn’t take up an MLB roster spot just yet, but the Pirates should be adding anyone with upside with the bat at all levels. Yepez, on a minor league contract, would be just that.