Pirates bring back pitcher from historic feat in first move of offseason

Following another fifth place finish in the NL Central, the Pirates have a lot to do this offseason to fix up this major league roster. While they cannot exactly do the heavy lifting until a few days after the World Series ends, they can re-sign players, especially at the minor-league level. They have done just that as October ends, bringing back Jarod Bayless to a minor league deal.

Bayless isn't exactly a well known minor leaguer, as 2025 was his first year in the Pirates' organization. At 28 years old, he jumped from Greensboro to Indianapolis in one season, putting together a respectable year. He posted a 3.97 ERA across 77 innings, with a 4.37 FIP and 9.00 K/9.

That's not terrible for an innings-eater in the organization. Now that he is established on the Triple-A roster again, what could his future with Pittsburgh be? Probably nothing, but there is still a possibility he gets a look. He remains off the 40-man roster after signing this minor league deal, and will get an invitation to spring training. It will be tough for him to earn a spot, yet if he has a solid year in the Triple-A bullpen, he may get a chance in the summer.

Pirates re-sign Jarod Bayless to a minor league deal, the arm that aided in Greensboro's second perfect game in 2025.

In his short time with Greensboro, Bayless contributed to one of the Grasshoppers' two perfect games this summer. He pitched in the second one, tossing just one perfect inning, but nonetheless, that marked a big historical feat that he got to be a part of. In addition to that slice of history, he posted a great 2.52 ERA with a 12.60 K/9 in Greensboro.

Bayless struggled the rest of the year in Altoona and was average in Indianapolis. He is likely going to be treated as another innings-eater in Triple-A. If he finds a groove, he definitely may get a chance to make his MLB debut, in much the same way Cam Sanders did this season at the same age.

As the rest of the offseason builds, the Pirates already do have a handful of relief pitchers stocked up in Triple-A, so this may be one of their limited minor league signings in the relief market. There is still a lot of work to be done for this organization to get back on track.