The Pirates must pull the plug on the Carmen Mlodzinski experiment

The Pittsburgh Pirates organization decided to turn Carmen Mlodzinski back into a starting pitcher this spring. The move became apparent in spring training when prospects Bubba Chander, Thomas Harrington and others were all optioned to the minor leagues while Johan Oviedo started 2025 on the injured list.

However, converting the third-year big leaguer back to a starting pitcher was a mistake. And there's still time to save things from spiraling.

Mlodzinski Simply Performs Better Out of the Pirates' Bullpen

The Pirates selected Mlodzinski 31st overall in the 2020 MLB Draft as a starting pitcher out of the University of South Carolina. He continued to start games to begin his professional career, but found little sustained success. The issues came to a head when he moved to the bullpen late in the 2022 season. The right-hander notched a 4.78 ERA in 27 games (22 starts) and 105.1 innings pitched with Double-A Altoona that year.

The organization decided the best course of action was keeping Mlodzinski in the pen. That decision proved fruitful, as he excelled in Triple-A Indianapolis with a 3.04 ERA across 26.2 innings in 20 relief appearances to begin the next season.

He earned his first callup to the major leagues in June 2023. Mlodzinski ended the 2023 MLB season with a 2.25 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 10 holds and a save over 36.0 relief innings. 2024 saw another solid campaign for the 26-year-old. He appeared 40 times, logging 50.2 innings, spinning his way to a 3.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in an injury-shortened season.

Moving Mlodzinski back into the rotation after consistent MLB success as a reliver made no sense. The adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies here. It appears the Pirates do not see this.

A Move Back to the Pirates' Bullpen Would Give the Unit Structure and Flexibility

With the struggles of Pittsburgh top two relievers this season, Mlodzinski’s talent and experience have become a necessary addition to the bullpen. Opening Day closer David Bednar found himself optioned to Triple-A just under a week into the season, while setup man Colin Holderman landed on the injured list with a knee issue. High-leverage righty Dauri Moreta also remains sidelined thanks to Tommy John surgery.

The bullpen has been left to simply figure it out. While no clear hierarchy has emerged, four arms have stepped up. Justin Lawrence, Caleb Ferguson, Ryan Borucki and Dennis Santana now combine to get the final nine-to-12 outs of games. Outside of those four, the Bucs do not currently roster another reliable option out of the pen.

Mlodzinski can play the role of a high-leverage, multiple-inning reliever. Think about 2016 and 2017 Andrew Miller with New York and Cleveland. The team had the lefty available to face any combination of hitters at any point during the game while also being able to get more than three outs in each appearance if necessary.

Mlodzinski remains stretched out for a starting pitcher’s workload. He can handle more than just one inning of relief at a time. His three starts this season has also proven that he can and will get through the order the first time with little-to-no issues.

In his first start of 2025, he tossed three scoreless innings to begin the game. Mlodzinski’s second start saw him toss 4.2 shutout frames, getting through the Cardinal lineup twice before allowing a run. His most recent outing in Cincinnati began the same way as the first two. He recorded seven outs in the first nine hitters before the wheels began to fall off.

A Bullpen by Committee Approach Has Proven Successful in Today’s Game

Using Mlodzinski as a high-leverage, potentially multi-inning arm would unlock the full potential of the bullpen by committee approach. Combining his talent with the four other relivers mentioned above would give the Pirates a lethal mix of two lefthanders and three righthanders to match up with any opposing lineup at any given time.

This model has proven successful in the recent past as well. AJ Hinch managed his hodgepodge of relief talent all the way to the Postseason in Detroit a year ago. The brilliance he showed pushed the Tigers all the way to Game 5 of the American League Division Series.

The only obstacles that stand in the way of achieving this true committee approach remain the reluctance to move Mlodzinski back to the pen, the refusal to call up any top starting pitching talent (Bubba Chandler) and the potential inability of the current manager to properly use the group. The time has come to make the change.