The Pirates finished last in the Central Division in 2024. You would never know by the way competition is for the 26 roster spots. With 27 days until the season starts, the Pirate roster is pretty well set. There are only 2 spots up for grabs. There would be only one spot open if Spencer Horwitz did not have to have wrist surgery. We will go through the list of 24 players that are a lock to make the team, with a few exceptions. This situation could change if the Pirates make a trade. Alternatively, it could change if they decide to eat a contract. The Pirate broadcast booth even tried to put a positive spin on the lack of competition in pitching. They believed it was beneficial for Bubba Chandler. He will pitch spring games without the pressure of trying to make the team. That thought process sums up better than anything why the Pirates are permanently pathetic. Here are your 2025 Pirates.
Position Players: Endy Rodriguez, Joey Bart, Nick Gonzales, Ke’Bryan Hayes, IKF, Tommy Pham, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Jared Triolo, Andrew McCutchen and Adam Frazier. This leaves two spots open. I will look at who is battling for those 2 coveted spots on such a powerful Major League lineup.
Pitching Staff: This is even worse because the staff is already set. There will be one who may be on the bubble but only time will tell. I will look at who this leaves out. The rotation is Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Barry Falter, and his clone Andrew Heaney. The bullpen will have David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski, Caleb Ferguson, Dennis Santana, Tim Mayza, Kyle Nicolas, and Johan Oviedo. The last two are the only ones that have a slight question about them. They might decide to stretch out Oviedo in AAA. Nicolas might be knocked off by competition.
Here are the position players that are fighting for the two spots, with what I think their chances of making the team. Jack Suwinski, maybe, Josh Palacios, hope not, Ji-Hwan Bae, unlikely but could surprise, Nick Yorke, should but won’t, Emmanuel Valdez, hope not, Matt Gorski, making noise, Liover Peguero, maybe because he can play shortstop, Billy Cook, should but won’t, Tsung Cheng, no chance because of experience, Henry Davis, maybe but where is he going to play, Jason Delay, no room at the position. Who knows what the Pirates are going to do? They might try to make up fake injuries to make the decision easier. My two choices are Nick Yorke and, if he continues to impress, Matt Gorski. To me, this is the perfect time to give Gorski a shot with really no one to play first base. If Gorski seems to cool off, then I would go with Ji-Hwan Bae because of his speed and versatility. If it were me, I would not have Adam Frazier or Tommy Pham on the team. Let the young guys play for God’s sake. On the pitching side of the equation, things are even worse. Barring any foreseen injuries, there are a lot of mediocre old guys that are keeping Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, and Mike Burrows off the team. The only player that could be in jeopardy of losing his job would be Kyle Nicolas. Burrows or even Hunter Stratton could unseat him. As I wrote earlier, they may decide to send Oviedo down to AAA. This move would stretch him out and open up a spot.
As you can see, the talent laden Pittsburgh Pirates 26 man roster is pretty well set. The problem is the most talented players are not going to make the team. A trade could change all of that. There has not even been a hint of that happening. The Pirates could make a surprise cut and eat a contract. Yeah, right. We are stuck with who we have for a least the year. Here are the sobering facts, Jack. On the Pirate 40 man roster there are only 4 players that are lifetime above average hitters. They are Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds who can possibly improve. Tommy Pham and Andrew McCutchen whose better days are behind them. The Pirates have one elite fielder in Ke’Bryan Hayes. The rest are barely average or way below average. What are the chances that Hayes will play over 130 games. Certainly, less than 50%. The bullpen will need to prove itself to start the season. Things could change but right now things look mighty mighty bleak for a team that is coming off a division title. Wait, that’s right they finished last in 2024. Well, you could have fooled me and Greg Brown.
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