Wednesday, October 29

The Hot Stove season will be underway by the time next week’s newsletter rolls around. As we prepare for the winter, this newsletter should help answer some questions Pirates fans might have. 

Which players are free agents?

After a busy Trade Deadline and a couple of waiver moves in August, the Pirates’ only pending free agent is Andrew McCutchen. This is the third straight winter that he'll be a free agent after a one-year deal, but it’s not a forgone guarantee that he will be back in 2026.

“We’ll see what happens,” McCutchen said about his future after the team’s final home game on Sept. 21. “Obviously a lot of that stuff is out of my control, so I just need to do my part. I do want to continue playing, wherever that may be. I’m looking forward to seeing where the offseason takes me.” 

Regardless of his future, the odds of McCutchen receiving a qualifying offer (a one-year deal for $22.025 million this offseason) are effectively zero. League-wide, the deadline to extend a qualifying offer is five days after the last game of the World Series. 

What roster decisions will Pittsburgh have to make? 

The Pirates do not have any club or player options to worry about this winter, but there are still some questions that they’re going to need to answer. 

Nine players are arbitration-eligible this year, and it should be an easy call to tender a contract to Dennis Santana, Oneil Cruz, Johan Oviedo, Joey Bart and Justin Lawrence. Yohan Ramírez seems like a non-tender candidate, while it makes sense to bring Dauri Moreta back. 

The other two are Colin Holderman and Jack Suwinski. A couple years ago, they looked like a potential setup man and middle-of-the-order corner outfielder, respectively, but this was a pretty miserable year for both. Holderman finished with a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 Major League innings, while Suwinski has been worth -2.1 wins above replacement in 147 games since the start of the 2024 season, according to Baseball Reference, hitting just .169 with a .568 OPS. 

Bullpen and corner outfield upgrades are on the Pirates’ shopping list this winter, and if Holderman and Suwinski bounced back, it would be a huge boost to the roster. That’s a very big “if,” though. Both had a rough end to their respective 2024 seasons, and things didn’t get better in 2025. It might not be worth taking that gamble again in 2026. 

The non-tender deadline is set for Nov. 21. 

Pittsburgh is also going to have to decide if it wants to protect some of its prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. 

Esmerlyn Valdez (No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of the organization’s top prospects) seems like a shoo-in to be added to the roster, especially after his stupendous showing in the Arizona Fall League thus far, homering eight times. Catcher Omar Alfonzo (No. 19), third baseman Jack Brannigan (No. 21), left-hander Anthony Solometo (No. 25) and righty Wilber Dotel (No. 28) are also Rule 5 eligible. Among the players not on the Top 30 list, right-hander Antwone Kelly touches 100 mph as a starter and had a 3.02 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 107 1/3 innings between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. In this reporter’s opinion, he might be the most attractive Rule 5 candidate pitcher the Pirates have. 

There should be a few spots open, but Pittsburgh obviously can’t add a half-dozen players to the roster who have yet to play above Double-A. The deadline to protect Rule 5-eligible players is Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. ET. 

What moves might happen? 

Expect Mitch Keller to be one of the central figures in any pitching trade talk. I went into that here. Bart’s name came up in talks at the Deadline, so he could be a trade candidate, too. Santana has only one year of team control remaining, and the Pirates often opt to trade their closers rather than let them walk in free agency. That doesn’t mean anything will happen this winter, though. 

But the focus this offseason should be adding to the club more than subtracting or dealing from it. Pittsburgh desperately needs help in the corner outfield and the left side of the infield, and adding two or three players who fit that bill would go a long way. The bullpen could use an infusion, and the rotation will need a veteran if the Pirates trade Keller, but they need to go into next year with at least two new starters between third base, shortstop and left field. That should be the priority. 

There have been three times in franchise history where a pitcher appeared in at least 90 games in a season. Two of those seasons came from Kent Tekulve, who pitched in 91 games in 1978 and 94 in 1979. Who is the other pitcher? 

A. Salomón Torres 
B. Jared Hughes 
C. Tony Watson 
D. Enrique Romo 

The Pirates are bringing back their Minor League awards to recognize their top performers in the system. 

It starts with the Coaching Staff of the Year and the Rookie-Level Player and Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday, followed by the Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year, Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year, Omar Moreno Baserunner of the Year and the Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year Wednesday. On Thursday, they’ll announce the Honus Wagner Player of the Year and the Bob Friend Pitcher of the Year. 

Pirates affiliates combined to go 396-319 in 2025, and that .554 winning percentage was the third best among Major League organizations. Four of their seven affiliates reached the postseason. 

• Bucs' Keller conundrum: Case for and against trading vet to retool for '26 

• One eye-catching prospect stat from each farm system 

A. Torres

Torres pitched in 94 games in 2006, finishing 24 of them with 12 saves. He recorded a 3-6 record and a 3.28 ERA over his 93 1/3 innings. 

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