Pirates Could Use Pitching Depth To Address Offense
If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to become a better hitting team in 2025, it may take them pulling from their biggest strength.
That sacrifice is one that Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has hinted that he's willing to make, though. He noted that he was prepared for Pittsburgh to reach a point where it could potentially use its pitching depth to add established bats.
"Starting about a year ago, we understood we were deeper in pitching than position players, and recognized that at some point, it was going to make sense to turn one of those pitchers into a position player," Cherington said. "We did that a little bit at the last deadline, but we're open to it again."
Pittsburgh ranked in the bottom-10 in nearly every major hitting category this past season and has glaring question marks at the plate outside of Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz. While there are unknowns about how the Pirates will approach improving their offense, the same question marks don't exist on the mound.
Paul Skenes and Jared Jones are one of the league's top young pitching duos. Mitch Keller has also been reliable, while Luis Ortiz showed promise in his stint in the starting rotation and Bailey Falter also flashed potential in his first full season in Pittsburgh.
Along with those five pitchers set to return, the Pirates have three top 100-pitching prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, waiting in the wings. Bubba Chandler (No. 15), Braxton Ashcraft (No. 85) and Thomas Harrington (No. 91) all reached Triple-A last season and aren't far off from making their big league debuts.
The only way Pittsburgh can keep all of those pitchers is if it moves a few to the bullpen. While that would address another pivotal need, having a rock solid pitching staff and bullpen won't mean much for the Pirates if they can't consistently score runs.
At some point, it'll be in Pittsburgh's best interest to use its pitching in a deal, whether it's in the majors or the minor leagues. A team like the Baltimore Orioles could be inclined to trade first basemen Ryan Mountcastle or Ryan O'Hearn. Either player would provide a huge upgrade at first base and add some much-needed stability to the Pirates' lineup.
No team can ever have too much pitching, but in the Pirates' case, they'd be wise to turn their excess depth on the mound into proven hitters at the plate. If they can't do that this offseason, Pittsburgh may be staring another lost season in the face in 2025.
