Why the Pirates will have a strong bullpen on opening day

As the Pirates roster stands today, there are question marks all over the place. One area that has not been touched this offseason, is the bullpen. The Pirates bullpen is the strongest area on the team heading into Spring Training. Let's take a look at the pitchers who have a sure spot in the opening-day bullpen and the questionable arms in the organization. 

David Bednar

David Bednar is the all star headline in the Pirates bullpen. The Pittsburgh native is considered one of the top closing pitchers in the entire league. Bednar, 29, will be going for his third consecutive all star game. In 2023, Bednar posted a 2.00 earned run average with 39 National League-leading saves and 80 strikeouts. All of these impressive numbers in 67.1 innings. We all love David Bednar in Pittsburgh and he is going to be the leader of this impressive bullpen.

Colin Holderman

Colin Holderman was utilized as an eighth-inning setup man in 2023. After acquiring him in 2022 for Daniel Vogelbach, Holderman has emerged as an important piece in the Pirates bullpen. The 28-year-old right hander has a little bit of control problems but has really good pitches. In 2023, Holderman had a 3.86 earned run average with 27 holds and 58 strikeouts. Holderman did spend some time on the injured list this season, but when healthy, Holderman can be a very reliable arm. 

Carmen Mlodzinski

Carmen Mlodzinski made his major league debut in June this season and did not disappoint. Mlodzinski was the first player that Ben Cherington drafted for the Pirates to make his major league debut. He was drafted as a starting pitcher, but in 2023, he made the switch to the bullpen, and it benefitted both sides a ton. The 24-year-old had a great rookie season making him one of the best arms in this Pirates bullpen. In 2023, Mlodzinski had a 2.25 earned run average with 10 holds and 34 strikeouts. Since he was called up in June, he only had 36 innings pitched. Definitely a really good young arm that will be in this bullpen for many years to come.

Ryan Borucki

Ryan Borucki was designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs in May 2023. The Pirates quickly picked him and had him pitching in Indianapolis. Borucki got his chance with the Pirates when Jose Hernandez went down with an injury. He did not have great numbers in AAA, but he did great in the big leagues. In 2023, Borucki posted a 2.45 earned run average with 33 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. Borucki will be the only guaranteed left-hander in the bullpen next season. 

Dauri Moreta

Dauri Moreta was acquired last offseason in exchange for Kevin Newman. Moreta has one of the best and most interesting sliders in all of baseball. With that amazing slider, he has some of the best strikeout stuff in baseball posting a 31.8 strikeout percentage. Those strikeouts helped Moreta have a 3.72 earned run average with a total of 76 strikeouts in 58 innings. He struggles with control sometimes but nonetheless is still dominant with that slider of his.

Other Three

Those five all had earned run averages under four which is extremely impressive. Five relievers who consistently did not give up runs. The Pirates need three more relievers to complete the bullpen. Bailey Falter is a likely long relief option after being acquired for Rodolfo Castro. He finished the season as a starter but struggled. Roansy Contreras is another long relief option, but we all know the step back he had last season. Jose Hernandez was our Rule 5 Draft selection a year ago and had a decent start to his rookie season but got hurt and struggled a ton. I see us optioning him to AAA because of his inexperience. The Pirates definitely could sign someone before spring training as well.

Overall, the Pirates bullpen this season is going to be very good. They have five really good pitchers to start the year. With a free agent signing and our own pitchers in our system, we could round out the bullpen very well. Our bullpen will be relied on heavily in the beginning of the season as we wait for JT Brubaker and Mike Burrows to return from Tommy John rehab.