Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Roster Moves That Would Improve the Roster

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on a rough go of things right now, but these three small, quality of life roster moves could have a positive impact on a time in dire need of some positive

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had a fun month of May, and that’s putting it lightly. While nobody expected them to keep the pace they had in April, they’ve taken a complete nose-dive off the cliff. I don’t think April was sustainable, but I also don’t think this current stretch is sustainable. Either way, the Pirates need to make some changes to the roster.

They’ve made more proactive moves this year compared to previous seasons, like optioning Mark Mathias after struggling and DFA’ing Chase De Jong, but the team needs to do more. That’s not to say they should do anything drastic, but there are certainly in need of some change.

Some relatively small quality-of-life changes to the overall Major League roster could greatly impact the season, and today, I have identified three roster moves that the Pittsburgh Pirates should make sooner rather than later.

DFA Miguel Andújar, Promote Jared Triolo

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Miguel Andújar after he was desiganted for assignment by the New York Yankees last September. Not only was Andújar formerly a high-ranking prospect for the Yankees in the late-2010s, but he made an outstanding first impression in 2018, batting .297/.328/.527 with a 129 wRC+, 27 home runs, and 47 doubles in 606 plate appearances. Andujar was a major negative contributor on defense with -21 defensive runs saved and -7 outs above average, but his season was good enough to finish behind two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

However, Andújar would run into multiple injuries throughout the next few seasons. From the outset of 2019 up until the Pirates claimed Andújar, the former ROY candidate appeared in just 105 games and had 359 plate appearances. Andújar not only lost his starting third base job to Gio Urshela and Josh Donaldson, moving to the outfield more regularly, but his bat managed just a 56 wRC+ in the few occasions when he was healthy.

Andújar looked okay with the Pirates, collecting a hit in six of his nine games, but the 2023 season hasn’t been nearly as kind to him. After an outstanding start against the Washington Nationals, the left fielder has just a single hit in his last 27 plate appearances. He has also struck out five times to oppose a single walk, and in the instances when he is making contact, he has an exit velocity of 84 MPH. His mediocre defense only compounds his poor performance. He’s already made some blunders in right field and has a -18.6 UZR/150.

Pirate utility prospect Jared Triolo should be the man who replaces Andújar. Triolo was a second-round pick by the Pirates in 2019. 2022 was arguably the best season of his minor league career. Triolo batted .282/.376/.419 with a .356 wOBA, and 121 wRC+ at Altoona. His 17.6% strikeout rate marked the third season in a row he had a sub-20% strikeout rate, and his wRC+ also marked the third time he has had a wRC+ of at least 110.

Triolo seemed to find his groove in June. From the start of June through the end of the year, Triolo batted .293/.391/.487 with a .385 wOBA and 140 wRC+. Although Triolo isn’t known for his power, he had a strong .194 isolated slugging percentage. His plate discipline became even better, with a 14.1% walk rate and 15.7% strikeout rate. He was also one of the Pirates’ best prospects after the All-STar Break, in which he had a .994 OPS, .424 wOBA, and 165 wRC+ down the stretch.

Triolo is considered an outstanding defensive third baseman and arguably the Pirates’ best defensive prospect. He also isn’t slow and swiped over 20 bases in 2021 and 2022. Triolo’s athleticism and defensive ability can play pretty much anywhere the Pirates need him to. He has seen a handful of games at shortstop and started to take up the outfield last season. In Spring Training, he played a few innings at first base and has previously stated he would play second base if he was required to.

The Pirates opted to protect Triolo from the Rule 5 Draft, placing him on their 40-man roster. Although Triolo opened the year on the injured list after undergoing hamate surgery, he’s returned to action, collecting nine hits and three walks in his first 31 plate appearances of the year.

Once Triolo is fully back to speed, the Pirates need to seriously consider promoting him. The team is lacking depth up the middle, and Andujar isn’t a great answer in the outfield. Triolo is 25 years old and doesn’t need much more minor-league seasoning.

DFA Duane Underwood Jr., Promote Colin Selby

Duane Underwood Jr. was a pick-up by the Pirates in 2020-2021. He served as a competent long-relief man during the 2021 season, but he was then asked to undertake a more high-leverage role. This is a role he has been inconsistent at best in and could potentially be staring down DFA limbo, especially with Colin Selby making a serious push for the big leagues.

Opponents just got on base when Underwood came to face them in important moments. In late and close games, they had a .362 on-base percentage last season and hit .296/.393/.394 in high-leverage situations. While he didn’t give up too many extra-base hits, allowing runners to reach base almost 40% of the time when the game is in its most important stage is a recipe for disaster.

Since after the 2022 Al-Star Break, Underwood owns a 4.97 ERA, 3.93 FIP, and 1.52 WHIP through 50.2 innings. Although he has a strong 0.53 HR/9, he’s struck out less than 20% of opponents (16.7%) with a walk rate of nearly 10% (9.7%). SIERA, one of the more accurate and advanced predictive measurements available to the public, has him at 4.42. FIP is the only predictive measurement that doesn’t have him above 4.40 during this stretch. Even then, xFIP pins him at 4.50.

Aside from a solid first half of 2022, Underwood hasn’t done anything of note in his Pirates tenure. While Underwood has yet to make any progress despite multiple changes in his game from 2021 through 2023, Colin Selby, on the other hand, has made changes that have drastically improved his game.

Selby was a former 16th-round pick from a D3 school who made major strides in 2022. In 35.2 innings, Selby owned a 2.27 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP. His 9.4% walk rate was manageable and the worst stat among his numbers. He struck out 28.9% of the batters he faced with a 0.5 HR/9 rate. Selby kept the ball on the ground, too, with a 54.4% ground ball rate, the 10th highest among Pirate minor leaguers in 2022 (min. 30 IP).

The top relief prospect opened the year at Triple-A but stumbled out of the gate. He allowed three earned runs while walking five batters through his first 3.2 innings. But after that, he found his groove and has kept producing like the pitcher he was last season. Over his last 11.1 innings, Selby has struck out 17 batters, has only allowed four walks and hits, and just two earned runs for an ERA well under 2.00 at 1.59. Ground balls have continued to be a strength for Selby, with a ground ball rate of 64.4% on the year and no home runs allowed.

Selby sits in the upper-90s. He didn’t throw a pitch below 96 MPH in his most recent outing. He throws a sinker, curveball, and slider with his four-seamer. Control hasn’t been his strong suit, but he’s never struggled with control, either. He’s kept his walk rate below 10%, which is perfectly fine, given how often he strikes batters out and how often he keeps the ball on the ground.

The late-inning trio of Selby, Colin Holderman, and David Bednar is significantly better than Underwood, Holderman, and Bednar. Underwood is in his third season with the Pirates, will turn 29 at the all-star break, and hasn’t shown any signs of improvement since his arrival. Selby is 25, is the Pirates’ best relief pitching prospect, and is dominating batters at Triple-A.