Why Jack Suwinski’s roster spot matters more than Pirates fans want to admit

For a fan base that has been starved for urgency, ambition and tangible proof that the Pirates are serious about winning in 2026, it’s understandable why seeing Jack Suwinski still on the roster while Andrew McCutchen remains unsigned feels like a slap in the face.

Suwinski owns a career .199 batting average. He hit .147 in 2025. Those numbers are easy to weaponize in arguments about complacency and sunk costs. And in a vacuum, it does feel absurd that a team with playoff aspirations would continue to reserve a roster spot for a player who has struggled that profoundly at the plate.

But baseball rosters don’t exist in a vacuum. And when you zoom out, Suwinski’s presence makes more sense than many fans want to admit.

Right now, Suwinski is the Pirates’ only established left fielder with multiple seasons of Major League experience. That is arguably a bigger problem in and of itself, but it matters. Not because Suwinski has been good, but because he has been there — and that creates insulation for the player the Pirates actually believe in.

That player is Jhostynxon Garcia.

Garcia is one of the organization’s most exciting position prospects, and the Pirates acquired him because they see him as part of the next wave. But he is still unproven at the Major League level. Suwinski’s roster spot exists so the Pirates don’t have to rush Garcia before he’s ready.

If Garcia comes up and looks overmatched for two weeks, the Pirates have a buffer. They can pull him back, adjust, protect him from being buried by early failure. Without Suwinski, that safety net disappears. Suddenly, Garcia isn’t competing — he’s responsible. And that’s a dangerous place to put a young hitter.

Suwinski also offers something else the Pirates are thin on: center-field capability.

If anything happens to Oneil Cruz — and we all know his history — the Pirates need someone who can handle center in real games, not just in spring training drills. Jake Mangum can do that, and Mangum is a really interesting player. But he just debuted last season. He’s speed-first, contact-first, and most effective when he’s wreaking havoc on the bases.

Suwinski brings something different: raw power and experience in the middle of the diamond. He’s not as dynamic as Mangum on the bases, but he gives the roster a different shape. He’s the emergency chute.

'Jack Suwinski vs Andrew McCutchen' debate ignores nuance of Pirates' roster construction

To be clear, this isn’t an argument that Suwinski deserves blind faith. It’s an argument that roster construction is about more than batting averages. It’s about sequencing risk.

The Pirates aren’t holding onto Suwinski because they think he’s secretly a star (one would hope, anyway). They’re holding onto him because they can’t afford to put all of their developmental pressure on Garcia and Mangum at the same time — especially not on a team that is finally trying to contend.

And yes, McCutchen still being unsigned complicates all of this emotionally. McCutchen is history. He’s identity. He’s comfort. Suwinski is none of those things, so the contrast feels cruel.

But the choice isn’t really “Suwinski vs. McCutchen.” It’s “Do we give our young outfielders a buffer, or do we throw them into the deep end and hope they can swim immediately?” Keeping Suwinski is the unglamorous, pragmatic answer.

Fans want momentum. They want symbolism. They want a roster that reflects urgency. That’s fair. But sometimes the moves that matter most are the ones that protect your future from being broken by your present.

At the end of the day, Suwinski’s roster spot isn’t necessarily about belief in him. It’s about giving everyone else a chance to succeed.