Pittsburgh Pirates: Checking in on Players Traded This Past Offseason

Zach Thompson

Zach Thompson was a main part of the Jacob Stallings deal back in the 2021-2022 offseason. After an underrated rookie campaign, Thompson entered the year with the hopes of locking down a potential long term rotation spot with the Bucs. However, he greatly struggled to a 5.18 ERA, 4.87 FIP, and 1.51 WHIP through 121.2 innings. Thompson struggled with home runs with a mediocre 1.41 HR/9 rate while posting a horrible 16.1% strikeout rate. Of the few positives, he did have a solid 8.5% walk rate.

Thompson was traded last off-season to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Chavez Young. The right-hander has yet to appear in the big leagues for the Jays in 2023, spending the entire year at Triple-A. He’s pitched to a 4.70 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 5.36 FIP. Granted, he has pitched in a fairly hitter friendly league, and that’s still a solidly above average ERA and WHIP, but it would be hard for Thompson to find major league innings on a deep Blue Jay pitching staff at this point of the year, unless there is a multitude of injuries down the line.