Three things the Pittsburgh Pirates can do to improve the bullpen

The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen has been an unexpected weakness, at least to start the season. This was supposed to be the best part of the team, yet so far, they've blown at least one lead in the 6th inning or later in every series except for Boston. The season is still young and there's time to course correct, but this is far from the start many were expecting from this group that looked like it could be the next Shark Tank.

As we wind down April, there are some clear improvements the Pirates could make. Some are simple fixes that could add some significant improvements to glaring issues. As of right now, there are three things I identified as things the Pirates could do right now to make the bullpen much better than it currently is.

Pirates Activate Ryan Borucki, Let Him Take Over For Aroldis Chapman (for now)

Ryan Borucki was one of the Pirates' most unexpected heroes in 2023. A minor league signee, Borucki was once a promising young starter for the Toronto Blue Jays. However, injuries plagued him for several years after his 2018 rookie season. The minor league flier the Pirates took on Borucki paid dividends, as he pitched 40.1 innings, working to a 2.45 ERA, 3.50 FIP, and 0.74 WHIP. While Borucki's 21.7% strikeout rate was only about league average, he handed out a mere four free passes for a 2.6% walk rate. On top of that, he was outstanding at limiting hard contact with an 85.7 MPH exit velocity and 6.3% barrel rate.

Borucki has not pitched much in 2024 yet. He has been sidelined by a tricep injury and has been on the IL since early April. There was a reported setback on April 20th, but it didn't seem to be significant and was expected to ramp back up in the following days. We might still see Borucki activated before the end of April.

Once Borucki is activated, let him become the high-leverage lefty for now. So far this year, the Pirates have turned to Aroldis Chapman for that role. The veteran flamethrower started the year off great with eight straight appearances while not allowing an earned run. However, since then, he's been scored on for six earned runs over his previous four outings. What's more worrying is that he's allowed a walk in five of his last six appearances. More often than not, these walks have come back to bite Chapman.

I'm not saying give up on Chapman. But if Borucki comes off the IL within the next week, it gives him and the Pirates the opportunity to take a step back and relax for a moment. Borucki more than held his own in late and close games in 2023. He pitched into the 7th inning or later in his last ten appearances in '23, eight of which were within three runs. He went scoreless in all those appearances and also ended his season with 16 straight scoreless innings.

Figure out what the Pirates have in Luis Ortiz

Luis Ortiz has not done great to start the year. But to his defense, the Pirates don't seem to know what to do with him. Do they want him to be a late-inning arm? He has pitched in the 8th inning or later four times. Or do they want him to be a multi-inning arm they can use whenever? He's also pitched in the sixth inning or earlier on four other occasions.

Just like Ortiz's usage, he's been all over the place, performance-wise. Ortiz has tossed 14 innings, allowing six earned runs, walking ten, and striking out a dozen. Ortiz has induced a ton of ground balls and has a 52.6% GB%. He also has limited quality contact, holding opponents to a meager 2.6% barrel rate. While Ortiz has lost a touch of velocity, his overall stuff+ is up to 106, compared to 99 last year.

There's definitely more movement to his offerings. His sinker has gained about three inches of vertical drop and an inch of horizontal movement. Ortiz has also sacrificed about two inches of drop on his slider to add two inches of break. But his other offerings, like his four-seamer and change-up, look about the same.

Put Ortiz in a role and stick him there. Stop making him bounce around from role to role. If he's a multi-inning/long relief arm, then leave him in that role. If he's a late-inning arm, then let him pitch more in late innings. It could totally change how he approaches batters. Asking him to be good enough to give a few innings and keep the team in the game is totally different to asking him to hold a 1-3 run lead (or not let the opponent widen a close lead) in the 7th inning or later. If he can get comfortable in one role, he might pitch a lot better.