Brewers' unlikely bullpen hero gives Pirates a new reason to rethink Carmen Mlodzinski's role

Carmen Mlodzinski has spent parts of four seasons in the Majors, and the Pirates are no closer to pinning down his exact role on the team.

One month he’s a starter, then he’s shunted over to the bullpen, then he’s back in the rotation, then he’s closing out games. It's no wonder Mlodzinski struggled to maintain his composure this summer.

The Pirates would be wise to look to the NL pennant winning Brewers to understand how best to approach a versatile arm. The bespectacled Aaron Ashby has put on a master class of multi-inning work this postseason. In six appearances, the left-hander has averaged two-plus innings and has yet to allow a run.

With Carmen Mlodzinski's role still unsettled, Pirates should take a page out of Brewers’ playbook

Mlodzinski doesn’t have the arsenal that Ashby does, but the Pirates’ reliever has proven effective coming out of the bullpen. If he becomes a guy that can put in multiple innings to close out games, as Ashby did with a three-inning save in Game Four of the NLCS, Mlodzinski may become one of the most valuable arms for Pittsburgh.

In fact, Mlodzinski has already shown promise in this type of role. Toward the end of the season, he twirled three perfect innings of high-leverage relief against the Giants. The Pirates and Don Kelly didn’t seem confident in Mlodzinski’s ability to continue into extra innings and pulled him. Pittsburgh lost.

There’s not really space in the Pirates’ rotation for Mlodzinski in 2027 unless Pittsburgh offloads some of its young arms like the team did with the Mike Burrows trade last winter. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Jared Jones can be written in ink (as long as they’re healthy). Braxton Ashcraft seems like a lock as well given his strong 2026.

That leaves one spot for Mlodzinski, Bubba Chandler, Hunter Barco, Khristian Curtis, and Thomas Harrington to fight over. Mlodzinski isn’t rising to the top of that group.

Instead, Mlodzinski should focus his efforts at carving out his own role in the Pirates’ bullpen. Few can compete with his versatility, durability, and ability to handle medium and high-leverage opportunities. If Mlodzinski really wants to stand out, he may need to become something of a hybrid between a starter and reliever.

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