Perrotto: Pirates Still Value Durability in Starting Pitchers (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation looks a whole lot better now than it did at the beginning of the month. Of course, that’s not saying much.
Mitch Keller was the only pitcher on the roster who was certain to begin next season as a starter until left-hander Marco Gonzales was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in a trade. The Pirates also now have a deal in place with free agent lefty Martin Perez contingent on his passing a physical examination.
Yet that still leaves two more spots to fill unless the Pirates want a reprise of the end of last season in which they were using openers or going with bullpen games three out of every five games.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington acknowledged earlier this week that the Pirates are still working on adding more starting pitching. The need for starters became more acute after right-hander Johan Oviedo underwent reconstructive elbow surgery that will force him to miss the 2024 season after pitching 177.2 innings this year.
One name that keeps popping up as a trade possibility is Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera. The Marlins have a wealth of starting pitching and the Marlins need a second baseman, so the team match up as potential trade partners.
The Pirates could offer a young player like Ji Hwan Bae, Nick Gonzales or Liover Peguero in a trade. However, the Marlins would certainly want more than that because the 25-year-old Cabrera still has five seasons of team contractual control.
Right-handers Dakota Hudson and Brad Keller are remaining free agents who could fit into the Pirates’ low budget. Cherington might also wait out the markets for Mike Clevinger and Lucas Giolito to see if he can get a bargain late in the offseason.
Innings pitched has become a less valued statistic in recent years as teams often remove their starters following the second time through the lineup. It used to be that GMs wanted pitchers who could provide 180-200 innings a season but now a more realistic expectation is 130-150 innings.
Refreshingly, the Pirates still value durability in their starting pitchers.
“I think innings are important,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I think you’re beginning to see it being a gold standard of guys being able to go out. It’s why Mitch’s year was so important. To be durable. It’s not only for what happens during the season, but it teaches guys how to prepare for the season. Especially young players, knowing the length and the grind of what a major league season is about, and that there’s going to be ups and downs. It’s good messaging for how we’re going to be in the offeason and how you have to prepare.”
Mitch Keller’s 194.1 innings last season were the eighth-most among big league pitchers. He could have reached the 200-inning mark if the Pirates hadn’t decided to skip his last turn in the rotation.
Gonzales pitched 183 innings for the Seattle Mariners two years ago before being limited to 10 starts last season before undergoing forearm surgery. His career high is 203 innings in 2019.
Perez worked 196.1 innings two years ago for the Texas Rangers and was selected to the All-Star team, though the total fell to 141.2 last season when he shifted from the rotation to the bullpen late in the year.
Cherington also appreciates starting pitchers who can go deep into the game for two reasons. One is they take some of the innings load off the relief pitchers. Secondly, eating innings in the big leagues gives the Pirates more time to develop their pitching prospects in the minor leagues.
“We do that math, and without getting into specifics, I think the wrinkle going into 2024 with us, there’s no guarantee with this, but if we’re betting, anticipate having more options as the year goes on than maybe we might in April,” Cherington said. “There’s a fixed number of innings we’re trying to fill, but some of that is kind of weighed towards the front of the season, perhaps. We can’t guarantee that. Things change in the game all the time but factoring that into in terms of the type of guys we’re going after.”
The Pirates haven’t had anyone pitch 200 innings in a season since Gerrit Cole in 2017. Between Keller, Gonzales and Perez, maybe that drought will end in 2024.
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