Pirates' trade candidate scratched from Thursday spring training start as anxiety grows

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter will not longer pitch in his scheduled start Thursday against the Minnesota Twins, per a report from Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said that Falter played catch Wednesday and didn't recover the way he typically does on five days' rest. He also said the move to scratch Falter from his scheduled start was made out of an "abundance of precaution," adding (via Alex Stumpf of MLB.com) that the lefty is dealing with "general body soreness" and will instead play catch again Thursday before the team determines the next steps.

Falter is expected to be the fourth starter in the Pirates' rotation, ahead of free agent signing Andrew Heaney and behind Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller. However, if the injury sidelines him for longer than expected, it could send Pittsburgh scrambling to come up with contingency plans with Opening Day just two weeks away.

"We have two weeks to go," Tomczyk said (via Greg Macafee of DK Pittsburgh Sports). "He's still prepping for the season. We don't envision any hiccups, it's just we wanted to be safe for him."

The Pirates have yet to name a replacement starter for Falter in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest.

Pirates' Bailey Falter scratched from Thursday spring training start as anxiety grows

Falter pitched to an 8-9 record and a 4.43 ERA with the Pirates last season, striking out 97 batters over 142 1/3 innings in a career-high 28 starts. He has made two Grapefruit League starts this spring, tossing a pair of scoreless frames against the Baltimore Orioles on Feb. 26, and giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out four in 2 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on March 3.

Prior to the trades of Martín Pérez at the 2024 MLB trade deadline and Luis Ortiz during Winter Meetings, Falter had been rumored to be a potential trade candidate for the Pirates. At 27 years old, he’s out of minor league options, but under team control for another three seasons beyond the 2025 campaign.

Given the Pirates' wealth of starting pitching depth, it's still very plausible that Falter's name comes up in trade rumors again this season. Regardless of whether they see his greatest value as a trade chip or as a rotation piece, though, the Pirates are taking measures to preserve his long-term health.

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