3 Relievers Pirates Should Target In Free Agency
Few needs if any are as glaring for the Pittsburgh Pirates as their bullpen.
The Pirates' relievers ranked 27th in ERA and were among the league's worst when it came to holding onto late leads, ranking third in most blown saves and second in blown leads in the ninth inning. They were also in the bottom 10 in walks per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Whether it's adding a closer to take David Bednar's place in the bullpen or signing a pair of arms, Pittsburgh can't stand pat with its current relievers if it expects to improve and be in the playoff picture.
Here are three relievers Pittsburgh could target in free agency.
José Leclerc
Adding a reliever with experience in different roles and pitching in big games could go a long toward helping the Pirates improve their bullpen in 2025.
José Leclerc would provide both along with adding plus stuff. His 12 strikeouts per nine innings was his best since 2020 and would have been second on Pittsburgh, only trailing Aroldis Chapman, who may leave in free agency.
Leclerc was 6-5 with a 4.32 ERA and pitched 66.2 innings across 64 appearances last season. In 2023, he was instrumental in the Texas Rangers' postseason run before winning the World Series, going 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched and striking out 14 batters.
The Rangers reliever also performed well against right-handed batters, holding them to a .193 batting average and had a 4.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio against them. His performance against left-handers left something to be desired, as they batted .291 against him and had a .419 on-base percentage. Those issues could be supplanted if the Pirates add a left-handed reliever alongside him, which leads us to our next pitcher.
Caleb Ferguson
Finding a way to keep left-handed batters in check would go a long way toward improving the Pirates bullpen. Caleb Ferguson is among the better options in free agency to address that need.
Left-handed batters slashed .250/.326/.423 and hit 80 home runs. Those numbers are comparable to right-handed batters, who slashed .250/.317/.388 despite nearly having 1,000 more at-bats than lefties. Ferguson held left-handed batters to a .218 batting average and a .308 slugging percentage.
Ferguson showed signs of figuring it out after he was traded from the New York Yankees to the Houston Astros. Betting on the 28-year-old reliever to continue to figure it out may not be a bad bet for Pittsburgh to improve one of their bigger needs in the bullpen.
Jeff Hoffman
If the Pirates decide to make improving the bullpen their priority this offseason, going all-in on Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman would make plenty of sense.
The hard-throwing right-hander made the first All-Star of his career, going 3-3 and he set career bests in appearances (68), ERA (2.17), strikeouts (89) and saves (10). He was also stellar in 2023, going 5-2 with a 2.41 ERA and struck out 69 batters over 52.1 innings.
Hoffman won't come cheap, but adding a reliever of his caliber is exactly the kind of move that would show the Pirates are serious about trying to become a playoff team.
