Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made starting pitchers Jared Jones and Mitch Keller available for trade at the Winter Meetings. Destin noted Jones is "very available." The Pirates have expressed interest in acquiring some offensive pieces, and moving one of these starting pitchers would put them in a good position to acquire a potent bat. Keller has typically operated as the workhorse in the Pittsburgh rotation, logging over 175 innings in each of the past two seasons. Last summer, Keller posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Jared Jones made his major league debut last summer and showed great potential. In his first 121 2/3 big league innings, the young right-hander held a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP while generating a strong 26.2% K rate. With Paul Skenes looking like a clear ace and Bubba Chandler nearing his major league debut, moving one of these starters could provide Pittsburgh a much-needed spark to their lineup.

The Cleveland Guardians acquired pitchers Luis L. Ortiz, Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night in exchange for infielder Spencer Horwitz, according to sources. Ortiz is the biggest name in the swap for the Guardians as they look to add pitching depth to their system. The 25-year-old Dominican right-hander had his best year in the big leagues in his third year with Pittsburgh in 2024, going 7-6 with a 3.32 ERA (4.25 FIP), 1.11 WHIP, a career-high 107 strikeouts and 42 walks in 135 2/3 innings over 37 appearances (15 starts). Even though the Guardians re-signed Shane Bieber already this offseason, Ortiz could be primed for a spot near the back end of Cleveland's starting rotation to open the 2025 regular season. Ortiz was slightly better as a starter in 2024 but had a strikeout rate under 20%, limiting his overall upside as a matchup-based streamer in deeper leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said at the MLB winter meetings on Monday that the expectation is that catching prospect Endy Rodriguez (elbow) will be "fully healthy" for the start of spring training in mid-February. Rodriguez was forced to miss all of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery to fix the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow in December of 2023, although he did take part in a minor-league rehab assignment in September for Double-A Altoona. The 24-year-old backstop switch-hitting Dominican made his MLB debut in 2023 and slashed .220/.284/.328 with three homers and 13 RBI in 57 games for the Bucs in 57 games. Given all the time he missed last year while recovering from elbow surgery, it would not be a surprise at all to see Rodriguez start in the minors in 2025 while serving as catching depth for Joey Bart and Henry Davis at the big-league level.

According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pirates have signed relief pitcher Hunter Stratton to a minor-league contract. Stratton spent all of last summer in Steele City but underwent surgery in his left knee in August. Stratton was facing a seven-to-ten-month recovery window at the time of the operation. Through 37 2/3 innings of relief, Stratton held a 3.58 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He tallied one save while showing great command with a stellar 4.4% walk rate. He also generated a solid 3.29 xERA and a 31.3% hard-hit rate. He was typically deployed in the eighth inning as and tallied five holds. Fantasy managers should monitor his progression during Spring Training as he could face an uphill battle to be ready for Opening Day, given his tight recovery window.

The New York Mets have signed free-agent outfielder Edward Olivares to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring camp. The 28-year-old played the first half of last season for the Pirates before being optioned to Triple-A in July. He hit .263 with 12 home runs in 2023 for the Royals over 107 games, and while he hit .344 with three home runs over the first nine games in 2024, the right-handed hitter was unable to maintain that momentum over the course of the season. For his career, the Venezuelan has shown some better pop against left-handed pitching, with a .440 SLG and .199 ISO against them compared to a .389 SLG and .128 ISO versus righties, so he could fit into a platoon role were he able to make it back to the majors.