Pirates latest trade rumor raises pertinent questions about bullpen personnel

Ken Rosenthal's report that the Pittsburgh Pirates are being more aggressive than most teams in their search for bullpen help shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has watched this team lately. The surprising part is that the Pirates may not need to look very far for solutions.

Pittsburgh entered Wednesday ranked fifth in Major League Baseball in runs scored per game and fourth in rotation fWAR. Clearly, this is a team that is being held back by a bullpen that ranks just 19th in fWAR and seems to be getting less out of its personnel than it should.

Wednesday's loss to the Astros was the latest example. After Paul Skenes unexpectedly flamed out in the fifth inning, the Pirates needed quality bullpen innings and didn't get them. Meanwhile, Carmen Mlodzinski sat unused for the ninth consecutive day.

If the Pirates are serious about fixing their bullpen, the questions extend beyond who they might acquire before the trade deadline. They also need to figure out whether they're getting the most out of the relievers they already have.

Pirates' mounting bullpen struggles aren't limited strictly to personnel

Mlodzinski has essentially been pigeonholed into a long-relief role where he's waiting for a specific situation — namely, a Jared Jones start — instead of being deployed when the team actually needs quality innings. Wednesday felt like exactly the type of game where Mlodzinski could have helped stabilize things after Skenes exited early. Instead, he watched.

The same can be said to a lesser extent for Wilber Dotel, another arm currently operating under a somewhat rigid usage pattern. There's value in preserving length and protecting innings, but if two of your better relievers are consistently unavailable because you're saving them for hypothetical future situations, what exactly is the benefit?

This question becomes especially pertinent when the rest of the bullpen has struggled to consistently protect leads. Take the Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana situation, for example. Soto wasn't well rested Wednesday because he had already pitched the night before. Unfortunately, he was needed Tuesday because Santana couldn't hold onto a six-run lead in the ninth. That's not a sustainable formula.

Santana has shown flashes throughout his Pirates tenure, but the results simply haven't matched the trust he's continued to receive in high-leverage situations this season. If the organization is actively shopping for bullpen help, it's fair to wonder whether Santana's role should be reduced — or whether he even has enough trade value remaining to be part of a meaningful deal.

It's also fair to question whether Soto should remain in the closer role. The left-hander possesses the best raw stuff in the bullpen and has often looked dominant, but Pittsburgh may need to reconsider how they're deploying him if the current structure is leaving them vulnerable elsewhere. The best reliever doesn't always have to pitch the ninth inning.

And what about Dotel? Would the Pirates be better served temporarily optioning him to Triple-A and bringing up a fresh arm capable of providing more immediate flexibility?

None of these questions have easy answers, but that's exactly why Rosenthal's report is so significant. The Pirates' offense looks real. For the most part, so does the rotation. The bullpen is the thing standing between Pittsburgh and another level of contention.

Whether the solution comes via trade, a roster shakeup, a change in roles, or simply using existing personnel more effectively remains to be seen. What is clear is that doing nothing is no longer an option. Wednesday's loss made sure of that.

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