The case for the Pirates to spend on starting pitching in free agency this offseason

If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be good anytime soon, it will be because of their pitching. They have a strong trio headlining their rotation with a deep supporting cast, along with a multitude of top prospects. On top of that, they just hired one of the best pitching coaches in professional baseball. On the surface, it wouldn't make much sense if the Pirates invested more into their pitching staff this offseason.

... Or would it?

There might be a handful of benefits if the Pirates make adding a starting pitcher a priority this offseason. One is that it simply improves the rotation. Adding at least a mid-rotation arm lets them put Luis Ortiz in the No. 5 spot and push Bailey Falter to the bullpen as a long-reliever/spot starter. There are plenty of middle rotation-caliber hurlers out there, like Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, Michael Lorenzen, Yusei Kikuchi, Nick Pivetta, or Luis Severino. Roki Sasaki has ace-upside, and will be in the Pirates’ price range with a host of opportunities for the Bucs if they sign him.

Another reason is that the Pirates’ supporting cast has their own injury issues. Braxton Ashcraft missed a good portion of the second half of the season. Mike Burrows pitched fewer than 50 frames between Triple-A and the Major Leagues after returning from Tommy John surgery. Johan Oviedo didn’t throw a single pitch in the bigs last season because he was still recovering from his own Tommy John procedure from last December. While they could be valuable pieces of the 2025 pitching staff, the Pirates cannot rely on all three of them to throw 120-150 innings next season.

The third reason is that it would let the Pirates move some of their young starters for bats. They have one of the best systems when it comes to pitching. Adding a quality veteran will make the Pirates more willing to move some of their talented young pitchers. The Bucs have a multitude of arms that would draw attention on the trade market if they were willing to move them. More depth creates less of a need to keep your best Double-A pitcher.

Finally, the Pirates aren’t blocking any top prospect. If anything, bringing in another solid pitcher helps the young pitchers the Pirates currently have. Chances are, top prospects like Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington would be on workloads similar to those of Jared Jones and Paul Skenes. The Pirates can skip a fewer amount of their starts and instead roll with a six-man rotation like they did during points of the 2024 season.

Of course, the other side of the argument is also valid. Why double down and sign a free agent starter when Ben Cherington already has a ton to do with a limited budget? Because it’s clear that there are a handful of benefits for the Pirates if they add another starter to the mix. It’s definitely something they should consider.

Again, pitching is going to be the backbone of a good Pirates team, so why not make sure it’s undoubtedly the strongest part of the roster?