5 recent Pirates players Pittsburgh fans wish they could have back for 2025

Clay Holmes

Holmes was a ninth-round pick by the Pirates in 2011 and spent parts of four unspectacular seasons in Pittsburgh, pitching to a 5.57 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in 91 appearances. He was dealt to the Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, and the fact that they were able to get anything for him seemed like a fleece job at the time.

The deal did end up being quite lopsided, but not in the way the Pirates expected. Holmes went on to post a 2.69 ERA with the Yankees while saving 74 games and making a pair of All-Star teams. He cut his four-seamer and curveball from his arsenal, relying heavily on a hard sinker and a slider-sweeper combo that enabled him to induce tons of groundballs while still missing bats at a high level.

Meanwhile, the Pirates' return in the trade, utilitymen Hoy Park and Diego Castillo, combined for -1.0 WAR in 163 games with the Bucs. After being acquired by the Pirates at the 2021 trade deadline, both were out of the organization before the calendar flipped to 2023.

Despite a strong 2024 season for Holmes, wherein he pitched 63 innings of 3.14 ERA ball and saved a career-high 30 games, he ceded closing duties to Luke Weaver during the Yankees' run to the World Series. In December, he signed a three-year, $38 million deal with the Mets, who plan on utilizing him in their starting rotation. He was never connected to the Pirates during the course of his free agency, but a pitcher of his caliber would be a massive help to Pittsburgh's young and volatile bullpen.

Carlos Santana

Santana was already an accomplished MLB veteran before ever donning a Pirates jersey. He played in 1,784 regular season games, accumulated 32.8 WAR, and hit 278 home runs before signing a one-year deal with the Pirates ahead of the 2023 season.

First base has been a black hole in Pittsburgh for the better part of the last three decades or so. While Santana only spent half a season with the Bucs and didn't produce the same level of power as he had earlier in his career, he remains one of the better first basemen the Pirates have had in recent years. He posted a .732 OPS with 12 home runs and his standard excellent walk rate while playing elite defense before being dealt to the Brewers at the deadline for infielder Jhonny Severino.

There was interest both from Santana and from Pirates fans in a reunion for 2024, but the team instead opted to sign Rowdy Tellez before Christmas, while Santana remained a free agent until February, when he signed with the Twins for $1.5 million less than he had gotten from Pittsburgh the year before. Santana proceeded to post another above-average offensive season while taking home his first career Gold Glove Award at age 38.

Like Holmes, Santana is no longer on the market, as he signed for a third stint in Cleveland (this time for a much higher $12 million price tag) after they sent Josh Naylor to Arizona. The Pirates traded for Spencer Horwitz to cover first base, but he's still unproven and likely requires a platoon partner. A reunion with Santana, who was universally adored in Pittsburgh, would have given the team a capable option to spell Horwitz and designated hitter Andrew McCutchen.