With the MLB trade deadline just a few days away, the Pirates are expected to deal several players off their major league roster.

Their pitchers have drawn particular interest. From starters like Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney to bullpen arms like Dennis Santana and David Bednar, a lot of change could be coming to Pittsburgh’s pitching staff over the next few days.

Depending on how many arms are moved, and what the return is, a sizable amount of arms currently throwing in Triple-A Indianapolis could earn a promotion to the big leagues. While some of them might end up just as filler arms until October, others will be auditioning for 2026 jobs.

Here are four pitchers currently in Triple-A who could be dawning a Pirates uniform soon.

Now before we begin, I will give a quick disclaimer on Johan Oviedo, who you might expect to be on this list. Oviedo, who is on a rehab assignment, is currently in Double-A Altoona, and while I do expect that he will be back in Pittsburgh before the year is out, this article only focuses on players in Triple-A. But rest assured, I did not forget about him!

For the position players version of this list, you can read our article here!

Bubba Chandler

Let’s start with the obvious one.

Even if Chandler has slipped in the baseball prospect rankings — his spot is now occupied by fellow Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin — Chandler still ranks fifth on MLB Pipeline’s list and is one of the most exciting pitchers in minor league ball.

Chandler has amassed 82.2 innings in Indianapolis this season, putting up a 3.27 ERA and 1.343 WHIP. The 22-year-old has racked up 104 strikeouts in 20 starts and has held opponents to only five home runs during the season.

The righty was expected to be called up early in the season, but as the year has progressed, that promotion hasn’t happened yet. Part of that is because Pittsburgh’s season fell apart, part of it is because Chandler has had a few issues working through Triple-A batters, and part of that is maybe so the club can keep him under team control for an extra year.

At any rate, the extra time has allowed the organization to help build up his pitch count. Chandler has averaged 92.5 pitches over his last four starts, and tallied his first 100-pitch outing back on July 10th.

Chandler has still had the occasional blowup on the mound. Most recently, an 87-pitch outing that saw him make it 3.2 innings and surrender eight hits, five earned runs, and a pair of home runs.

But he still has enough skill to reach the big leagues this year, and as the season winds down, it will be wise to get him some major league reps before the year is out.

Dauri Moreta

Moreta has long been missed. An energetic arm who had personality on the mound, Big Bank was acquired by the Pirates before the 2023 season and pitched to a 3.72 ERA and 1.086 WHIP in 58 innings for the team. He racked up 76 strikeouts

An arm injury took him out in last year’s spring training, and an eventual UCL surgery wiped out his 2024 season and the first month of the 2025 campaign. Finally, after over a year of recovery, Moreta was finally able to get back on the mound.

On April 29th, he officially kicked off his rehab, making the first of two appearances in Low-A Bradenton before being transferred to Indianapolis.

He made his Triple-A season debut on May 6th, and spent over a month there working through his rehab. During that span, he threw 14.2 innings, posting a 3.07 ERA (five earned runs) and striking out 20.

Control was a bit of an issue for Moreta during the rehab. He walked 12 and plunked a pair, averaging about a free pass every inning.

On June 16th, Moreta was reinstated from his rehab assignment and optioned to Triple-A. Since then, the righty has, crazily, tossed the exact same amount, 14.2 innings. He’s held a 2.45 ERA (four earned runs) while striking out 25. The control issue has also faded, with him walking seven in this most recent stretch.

In total, Moreta has a 2.76 ERA, with opponents batting .204 against him. For any Triple-A arm, those are numbers worthy of a promotion. For a player with a past big league résumé like Moreta, it’s all the more reason why the Pirates should bring him up soon.

Drake Fellows

Here’s our first true under-the-radar pitcher on this list. Fellows isn’t a name that a lot of fans will know, but depending on how much the Pirates deal from their major league pitching, Fellows is an arm that could see some time in Pittsburgh down the stretch.

Fellows started the year as a reliever, performing his first 14 games of work as a lengthy reliever. He put up a 3.86 ERA, with opponents batting .254 against him.

Fellows made his first appearance as a starter on June 7th, where he has been ever since. As a starter, he has a slightly higher 4.46 ERA, but his opposing average of .246 is lower than his relief work.

I did a deep dive on Fellows a few weeks ago, detailing his career and how the 27-year-old has rose to prominence in Indianapolis’ rotation. Since that article, Fellows has made two starts, pitching nine shutout innings, picking up his team-leading seventh win and lowering his season ERA to 4.18.

If the Pirates reach far enough into the pitching well, the righty could act as either a starter or a reliever. At his age, a major league chance isn’t entirely out of the question, but the chances are diminishing. Fellows stands to gain if Pittsburgh conducts a major sell-off.

Cam Sanders

If Fellows was an unknown, Sanders is something far more obscure. The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract this winter, after Sanders had spent over half a decade in the Chicago Cubs organization.

Sanders had topped out at the Triple-A level in Chicago’s system, but he fell upon rough times in 2024. He began last season in Triple-A Iowa, pitching to a 4.70 ERA for about a month before he was actually demoted to Double-A Tennessee.

He rebounded with the Smokies, amassing a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 innings and two months before the Cubs brought him back to Iowa. But his return to Triple-A was a disaster; Sanders was blown up with a 10.59 ERA. Opponents slashed an incredible .342/.473/.616 for a 1.090 OPS against him during his second Iowa run in 2024, and if an opposing batter put the ball in play, there was about a 50% chance it went for a hit.

After signing with the Pirates organization, the 28-year-old started the year in Double-A Altoona. He was the closer for the Curve, finishing 15 of the 18 games he pitched in there and picking up nine saves. His 1.90 ERA and .154 opposing average was impressive enough for the organization to promote him to Triple-A, where he has pitched since mid-June.

With the Indians, Sanders has now hurled 15.2 innings to a 2.30 ERA. Triple-A opponents are also batting exactly .154 against him, with a slightly lower OPS (.544 in Altoona as opposed .512 in Indianapolis). He’s struck out 18 to only six walks.

He’s been on a hot streak almost all year, and given the success that he has had in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, the Pirates might just want to see if that can translate to the major leagues.