Pirates can turn Twins' Triple-A fodder into bullpen asset after unexpected move

The Pittsburgh Pirates keep insisting their bullpen answers can come from within. But if that is the entire plan, it sure isn't much of one.

That is why the Minnesota Twins’ somewhat baffling decision to release Matt Bowman should at least get the attention of Pittsburgh's front office.

Bowman is not a flashy name or the kind of late-inning arm who would calm an entire fan base by himself. He is 34 years old, has bounced around the league and was pitching at Triple-A St. Paul (quite well, as a matter of fact) before triggering his opt-out. On the surface, he actually sounds like the kind of signing fans would roll their eyes at.

But the Pirates bullpen doesn't need just one savior. It needs someone, for lack of a better term, boring. Someone who can pitch competent innings, throw strikes, and enter in the middle of a game and not immediately turn a manageable deficit into a meltdown. Bowman may not be overpowering, but his profile checks several boxes the Pirates badly need right now.

Pirates can steal an easy bullpen upgrade in Matt Bowman after Twins make surprise cut

Through 21 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season, Bowman posted a 1.69 ERA with a 28.1% strikeout rate and a 6.7% walk rate. For a Pittsburgh bullpen that has too often created its own trouble with traffic, missed spots and poor command, that combination sounds like a welcome addition. He also brings a career 52.3% ground-ball rate, which fits a club that should be hunting for arms capable of getting quick outs instead of living in constant high-stress counts.

Bowman's sinker sits around 92 mph, but the Pirates have already learned that velocity alone does not make a bullpen functional. They have cycled through enough hard throwers with inconsistent results to know that execution matters, too.

The other appeal is flexibility. Bowman has neutral career platoon splits, meaning he is not strictly a matchup-only arm. That should be especially appealing to a Pirates team whose bullpen usage has already been stretched by short starts, creative pitching plans and uneven performances from the back end.

Ben Cherington and Don Kelly can keep talking about internal improvement, and to some extent, they're right. The Pirates need several current relievers to be better. But waiting around and hoping for that to happen is not a bullpen strategy. It's wishful thinking.

Bowman would not be a blockbuster signing for Pittsburgh. He might not even stick. But he is exactly the kind of low-cost, low-risk veteran flyer the Pirates should be pursuing before their bullpen problem becomes even harder to ignore.

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