Pirates Non-Roster Invitees who could make the Opening Day bullpen

With three weeks left until Opening Day and Dauri Moreta likely to start the season on the injured list, the Pittsburgh Pirates could look to one or more non-roster invitees to fill holes in the bullpen

Spring Training is always full of surprises (some for the better, and some…not so much), and that saying is true for this year’s edition of Pirates Spring Training baseball. Throughout Spring Training, Pirates fans have had the privilege of watching top pitching prospects like Anthony Solometo, Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, and Jared Jones showcase their talent on the mound, but they have also had to endure their fair share of rough outings from Bailey Falter, Marco Gonzales, Roansy Contreras, and others who have struggled this Spring. Granted, Spring Training stats and performances should be taken with a grain of salt; but injuries shouldn’t be.

Last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates suffered a massive blow after Dauri Moreta left the game with an elbow injury; effectively creating a new hole that needs to be filled as soon as possible. According to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com, Moreta is reportedly expected to start the season on the injured list. David Bednar’s status is also up in the air as well, but it should hopefully be a short term injury.

The Pirates dealt with a similar situation last Spring, when newly signed southpaw Jarlin Garcia suffered a season ending injury which created a hole in the Pirates bullpen. Luckily for the Pirates, non-roster invitee Rob Zastryzny filled that hole after a solid Spring.

With this unfortunate news, which of these NRI’s have the best chance to take over vacancies in the bullpen?

1. RHP Hunter Stratton

27-year-old Hunter Stratton has showcased why he’s arguably the top candidate to make the Opening Day roster, after posting solid numbers so far this Spring. Stratton (not to be confused with former Pirates pitcher, Chris Stratton) debuted with the Pirates following a solid 2023 season with the Indianapolis Indians. In 47 appearances, Stratton posted a 3.99 ERA, 74 strikeouts, and 6 saves out of the bullpen. With the Pirates bullpen, Stratton posted a 2.25 ERA, 4.76 FIP, and had 10 strikeouts across 12 innings.

Stratton elected free agency during the 2023 off-season and subsequently re-signed with the team on a Minor League Deal with an invite to Spring Training. As of writing this article, Hunter Stratton has posted a 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 5 strikeouts across 5 innings of work in Grapefruit League games. Granted, this is a small sample size, but it’s still impressive nonetheless. Stratton relies heavily on his 3-pitch mix, which consists of a 95-mph fastball, 91-mph cutter, and an 85-mph slider. If I were a betting man, I’d highly consider Stratton as the top NRI option to make the team.

3. RHP Ben Heller

For some fans, Ben Heller may be a name that has been completely forgotten about this Spring, and I don’t blame them. As of writing this article, Heller has not pitched a single inning after signing a minor league deal with the Pirates back in early December. Heller was also offered an invite to join the Pirates Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee but hasn’t played due to a suspected injury (which hasn’t been formally announced by the Pirates). However, there are some things to like about Heller’s game, which could lead to him making the Opening Day roster, if healthy.

Last season with the Atlanta Braves, Heller posted a 3.86 ERA, and 5.02 FIP, struck out 19.5% of batters faced, and had a 1.45 WHIP across 18.2 innings of relief. Those numbers don’t immediately scream “lockdown reliever”, but the Pirates aren’t asking Heller to post elite numbers out of the bullpen. Heller’s calling card is his ability to generate groundballs as a sinker-baller and limit home runs, which would translate well in PNC Park. He also has one of the nastiest sweepers in the entire league (78.6 Whiff%), which was a nightmare for opposing batters. Last season, Heller’s elite breaking ball was UNHITABLE, holding batters to a .000 batting average and striking out 11 hitters.

While Heller isn’t the most likely candidate to make the Opening Day roster, his repertoire speaks for itself and he shouldn’t be removed from consideration. Keep your eyes peeled on Heller this Spring, if he actually pitches.

4. RHP Brent Honeywell Jr.

On February 8th, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed former top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell Jr. to a Minor League deal, with an invite to Spring Training. After being named one of the top pitching prospects in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017, Honeywell unfortunately got injured during Spring Training in 2018 and underwent Tommy John Surgery. For the next few seasons, Honeywell dealt with a variety of injuries that kept him off the field, and he bounced around to the Athletics, Padres, and White Sox from 2021-2023, until he recently landed with the Pirates.

With the Padres and White Sox, Honeywell posted a 4.82 ERA, 5.62 FIP, 45 strikeouts, and a 1.45 WHIP across 52.1 innings. Honeywell was a decent ground baller (48.8 groundball %) but struggled with control at times. His numbers with the Padres were better than his combined ERA, because his awful stint with the White Sox inflated his ERA from a 4.05 (with San Diego), to a 4.85 combined ERA. One of Honeywell’s best pitches is his screwball, which is fairly uncommon in today’s league, and it has been fun to watch during Spring Training.

Brent Honeywell Jr. has had his ups and downs this Spring for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he should still be a consideration for one of these bullpen vacancies. I am hopeful that Brent Honeywell Jr. will bounce back and put together a decent year out of the bullpen, but only time will tell if he makes the Opening Day roster.

Other non-roster invitee options for the bullpen

While there are other non-roster invitees like Josh Fleming, Chase Anderson, Ryder Ryan, Michael Plassmeyer, and Connor Sadzeck that could make the Opening Roster, I believe they will start out in Triple-A or elect for free agency. Out of this small group, Josh Fleming has the best shot to make the Opening Day roster, but I find it hard to believe that the Pirates would entertain the idea of having at least 4 lefties in the bullpen, but you never know in today’s game. However, if Ben Cherington decided to add Fleming to the Opening Day roster, I’d be willing to tolerate it.

With Dauri Moreta likely out for the start of 2024 and David Bednar’s health being up in the air, here is how the Pirates bullpen looks to potentially be: RHP Roansy Contreras, [open spot], LHP Ryan Borucki, LHP Jose Hernandez, RHP Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP Colin Holderman, LHP Aroldis Chapman, and [open spot or Bednar if he is healthy]. The back end of the bullpen is going to be fun to watch, but the Pirates should consider one or more of these non-roster invitees to fill the holes in the bullpen.