During the winter, general manager Ben Cherington made several moves in an attempt to help supplement Pittsburgh’s woes on offense.
Among other moves in his quest for bats, he signed Ryan O’Hearn to the first multi-year deal the organization handed out in free agency since 2016, landed designated hitter Marcell Ozuna on the cheap, and swung a trade for home-run slugger Brandon Lowe.
But if the Pirates are truly going to succeed this season, they’re going to need everything they can get from their pitching staff, and in particular, their starting rotation.
Most of the rotation is already set this year. Paul Skenes, looking to defend his Cy Young honor, will lead the Pirates out on Opening Day. Mitch Keller, the veteran of the group, will follow, and young guns Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft will take the third and fourth spots.
It’s the fifth spot that has remained somewhat open over the winter and into the spring. Though it’s a spot that will eventually host Jared Jones once he returns from surgery, internal options like Hunter Barco have battled with veterans like José Urquidy for the fifth spot coming out of camp.
Another name that has featured in that race is Carmen Mlodzinski. The right-hander and former first round pick of the Pirates in 2020, Mlodzinski pitched to a 3.55 ERA last season over 99 total innings, splitting time as both a starter and a reliever.
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