Perrotto: Three Starting Pitchers Pirates Should Consider Adding

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ strength is their starting pitching, an idea difficult to dispute.

The projected rotation for this upcoming season is headed by reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. It includes Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, Johan Oviedo and left-hander Bailey Falter.

Triple-A Indianapolis’ rotation should include four pitchers among the Pirates’ top 10 prospects: Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows.

So, the Pirates have plenty of starting pitching depth. Or do they?

The Pirates will be careful about how many innings they let Skenes and Jones pitch in their second big-league seasons. Oviedo will also be watched closely after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

The workloads of the four prospects at Indianapolis will also be monitored. None are older than 25.

With spring training just six days away, general manager Ben Cherington might want to consider pursuing a veteran starting pitcher who can fill some innings.

There are very few starters left on the free-agent market. And the Pirates have been unwilling to spend much money this winter.

Put those two factors together and Cherington will need to bargain hunt. Yet a few pitchers could be helpful and willing to take a discount this close to spring training.

Here are three:

Chris Flexen

Being the best pitcher on the worst team in modern baseball history likely won’t get you to Cooperstown. However, journeyman right-hander Chris Flexen was a bright spot for the Chicago White Sox during their dismal 121-loss season last year.

Flexen was 3-15 with a 4.95 ERA in 33 games (30 starts) in 2024. However, he did have 1.6 bWAR and pitched 160 innings.

Flexen has worked at least 102 innings in the last four seasons, including a career-high 179.2 for the Seattle Mariners in 2021. He also had a 3.61 ERA that year and a 3.73 mark in 137.2 innings the following year.

Flexen, 30, won’t be a key cog in any decent team’s rotation. However, he is still relatively young and worth having around at the right price.

Andrew Heaney

The Pirates could use a second left-handed starting option beyond Falter, making Heaney intriguing.

Heaney was 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) for the Texas Rangers last season. Not good, but not terrible, and he won 10 games and helped the Rangers win the World Series a year earlier.

Heaney, 33, pitched a combined 307.1 innings in his two seasons with the Rangers. He is a flyball pitcher but that isn’t necessarily a hinderance at PNC Park.

Lance Lynn

Lynn was limited to just 23 starts and 117.1 innings last season with the St. Louis Cardinals because of knee problems. However, he was 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA while striking out 109. Lynn also logged 183.2 innings in 2023.

At 37, Lynn fits the description of a grizzled veteran. Yet the 6-foot-5, 280-pounder is still an intimidating presence on the mound and a respected figure in the clubhouse.

Lynn would be an asset to a team short on leadership and accountability.