Caleb Ferguson's latest quote further clouds Pirates' rotation picture

With various rotation options thrown around during spring training, the Pirates have a massive cloud hovering over the fifth spot in the rotation. The battle got very interesting following the Andrew Heaney addition, yet here the Pirates are, still tinkering with their bullpen options despite an overload of bonafide starters.

After hearing about Carmen Mlodzinski possibly getting stretched out to a starter, another bomb dropped, as early rumors about Caleb Ferguson getting stretched out, too, appear to have legs. Following Ferguson's two-inning outing against the Twins in his first appearance of the spring (in which the lefty performed very well, allowing just one walk, no runs, and striking out one), he spoke about his potential goals for 2025.

“I've always wanted to be a starter, but I've also always wanted to be in the big leagues,” Ferguson said, via Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. “I wanted to do whatever the team needs and to pitch in the big leagues. Wherever it falls, it falls, but ultimately being a starter is always something I've wanted. Being in the big leagues is the most important part of it. We'll see how it plays out."

Ferguson obviously is willing to be a reliever this season, but he also made his desire to return to a starting pitching role clear. He formerly was a starter when he was in the minor leagues, and transitioned into a reliever once the Dodgers bumped him up to the majors.

Caleb Ferguson's desire to return to starting makes fifth spot in the rotation more of a blur for the Pirates.

With Mlodzinski, Bailey Falter, Bubba Chandler, and Johan Oviedo in the mix (when fully recovered) for a starting spot, Ferguson has a lot to prove. Last season was not horrible for him, but it was far from exceptional, with an ERA of 4.64, an FIP of 3.74 and a high WHIP of 1.49. He has allowed a lot of baserunners in his last two seasons of relief work, and got hurt in 2022.

Given the way the Pirates' roster sits now, Ferguson should be utilized as go-to left-hander out of the bullpen. Stretching him feels risky, given his recent inconsistency and injury history. Unfortunately, while he is willing to pitch out of the bullpen, he does want to start. Could it work? Yeah, but there are already plenty of established options for the Pirates to use to start the season. Maybe all Ferguson wants is an honest shot, though the deck is already stacked against him.

Time will tell what they roll with, but Pittsburgh needs to be smart with this. Ferguson's comments do not necessarily align with the smart decision here, and his two innings thrown also back that notion up. Ben Cherington wants to have lots of depth for the rotation, so perhaps he'd rather just collect wild cards hiding in the bullpen for 2025. Still, this is certainly an odd tone to strike, especially after Heaney's arrival.