Pirates History: Remembering when Pittsburgh found missing rotation piece

Starting pitching is the most valuable asset in baseball. You can’t have enough of it. The current rotation and prospect depth are the Pirates’ greatest strength. Many have suggested trading from this bulk of arm talent to acquire much needed bats at the major league level. This predicament mirrors what the 2013 club looked like: one of the best pitching staffs in the league and a weak offensive output.

Though there were some bright spots - namely Andrew McCutchen, your 2013 NL MVP - it was from the mound that this team shined the brightest. The Shark Tank, consisting of All-Stars Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon, as well as Vin Mazzaro, Tony Watson and Justin Wilson, was arguably the best bullpen in the sport that year. The starting rotation was a mix of veterans and up-and-comers. The best of this bunch was southpaw Francisco Liriano, who the Pirates had signed the previous offseason.

At the time, the move brought some risk, given Liriano's injury history and recent inconsistency with the Twins and White Sox. The team’s previous campaign began with promise and ended in the type of disappointment that Pirates fans had been used to for nearly two decades. Starters Érik Bédard and Kevin Correia had underperformed and moved on to different teams. A.J. Burnett, James McDonald and Wandy Rodríguez returned for 2013, and top prospect Gerrit Cole was on the way. The Pirates’ signing of Liriano certainly paid off, but didn’t exactly begin well. Initially signed on Dec. 21st, 2012, the deal didn’t last for long, as Liriano injured himself in an unusual fashion on Christmas Day. While at home in the Dominican Republic, he broke his right humerus “slapping a door”, attempting to scare his kids. Liriano was to fly to Pittsburgh the next day to sign his contract. He’d sign a new deal on different terms in February, the value of which depended on the impact of this bizarre injury.

Liriano began the season on the shelf, then rehabbed in Indianapolis for a time before making his Pirates debut. Once a top prospect himself in the Twins organization, his career to that point had seen high highs and low lows. His first full season in the majors, 2006, was debatably his best, featuring a 12-3 record with an elite ERA of 2.13, as well as144 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched. That year, Liriano made the All-Star team, and came in third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. 

Starter Francisco Liriano cemented comeback with Pittsburgh Pirates

He missed all of 2007 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and struggled at times over the next two seasons. Liriano returned to his former greatness in 2010 as a full-time member of the Twins rotation, receiving Cy Young Award votes. He was named the AL’s Comeback Player of the Year, an honor he would take home in the National League as member of the Pirates in 2013. His finest performance with the Bucs came in the Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds. Best known as the “Cueto Game”, Liriano did his part in pitching seven innings of one-run ball, earning the win. He remained with Pittsburgh for a few more years as a proven and reliable starter on teams that earned Wild Cards berths but could never make it past the Division Series. Liriano was the Pirates' Opening Day starter from 2014 to 2016.

In December of 2014, he signed a three-year, $39 million dollar contract with Pittsburgh. Sadly, this represents the largest contract the Pirates have ever given to a free agent. Liriano was traded at the deadline in ‘16 after a poor first half, a deal that saw him go to Toronto along with Resse McGuire and Harold Ramírez in exchange for Drew Hutchinson. Hutchinson, like Liriano, was an inefficient starter at the time. The Blue Jays won this trade, given Liriano’s return to form in the latter half of that season. Hutchinson, a total bust in Pittsburgh, pitched in only six games to uninspiring results, and was not offered a contract that offseason. Ramírez never played for Toronto but had a few good seasons with the Rays. He is a currently a free agent after a lackluster 2024 split between Tampa Bay and Washington. McGuire has bounced around the league and has primarily been a backup catching option. While "Liri” was gone, and the Pirates eventually returned to obscurity in the NL Central, this wasn’t the last we’d be seeing of No. 47. 

He won a ring as a member of the infamous 2017 Houston Astros, pitching in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series out of the bullpen. Going into his age-35 season, Liriano signed a minor league contract with the Pirates for 2019, and made the Opening Day roster out of spring training. He was used exclusively as a reliever that year, after starting 26 games for the Tigers in 2018, pitching to a 3.47 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 70 innings out of the bullpen. 2019 was Liriano’s final season as a professional.

Since his second stint in Pittsburgh, he has signed minor-league deals with the Phillies and Blue Jays, but never made an appearance for either team. Francisco Liriano was a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, even though his playoff teams came up short. He and Burnett represented great additions to a young team that had great potential, but needed the support of experienced leaders in the clubhouse. Since then, the Pirates haven’t found anyone to succeed those players in this crucial role. They’ve only signed aging pitchers to eat innings on rosters that had no chance of seriously competing. While many fans are clamoring, and rightfully so, for the team to spend some money on a corner outfielder or first baseman, a more than competent veteran starter to join an already formidable rotation should not be out of the question. A reunion with Charlie Morton is not outside the realm of possibility. That potential signing would be a welcome boost to an otherwise underwhelming offseason thus far.