Pirates reunite with diamond-in-the-rough southpaw after injury-plagued season

After coming into the offseason subtracting three left-handers from the bullpen, the Pirates had a clear area of improvement on their plate. Luckily, unlike the outfield void, they've addressed it in spades.

They started off with the addition of Caleb Ferguson, and followed that with the signing of Tim Mayza Monday night. Shortly after the Mayza deal was announced, Jon Heyman of the New York Post broke that the Pirates were also bringing back Ryan Borucki on a minor-league deal.

Borucki was one of the three southpaws that entered free agency from last year's roster, and the Pirates have now evened things up by adding back what they'd lost entering the offseason. That was something they desperately needed to accomplish before spring training rolled around.

Pirates bring back Ryan Borucki on minor-league deal hoping for a 2023-like season.

Borucki was a diamond-in-the-rough find during the 2023 season, and absolutely dominated in his lefty specialist role. In 38 appearances, Borucki posted an ERA of 2.45 with a FIP of 3.50 across 40.1 innings and struck out 33 batters. Opponents batted just .181 against him and he walked hitters at a 2.6% clip to generate a WHIP of 0.74. He was oustanding, but then 2024 came around, resulting in him heading for free agency.

In 2024, Borucki battled so many injuries in his elbow. He got hurt early in the season and got treatment, but consistently went on rehab assignments and would get shut down shortly after starting them. The injuries just kept returning after healing, which prevented him from throwing in Pittsburgh's bullpen until September.

When he did get to throw in the Pirates bullpen, he managed a 7.36 ERA with a WHIP of 1.64 and an opposing batting average of .304. It was just a straight up disaster in 2024, but he is now back, and the Pirates are looking to get him back to his 2023 form.

If the Pirates can get him back to his elite self, then their bullpen can return to being a strength in 2025. They missed that in 2024, which was ultimately the deciding factor in their summer fall-off from the Wild Card race. Borucki's health will be something to monitor this spring, and it is likely the Pirates will try to be very careful with it.