The Bucco bullpen may be in for a surprising bounce back in 2025
In what has been a disappointing offseason for the Pirates, Ben Cherington added two more left-handed relievers on Monday night that should give fans some optimism about a bullpen that miserably failed to meet expectations last year but still has the potential for a bounce-back.
Remarkably, the first signing is one of the most significant moves of the offseason thus far. 33-year-old southpaw Tim Mayza signed a one-year MLB deal for $1.15 million. Mayza was a solid contributor to the Blue Jays pen for several seasons up until last year, and in 2023, he had a career-best 1.52 ERA in 69 appearances.
Mayza, like many of his Blue Jays teammates in 2024, dramatically underperformed. In 35 appearances, he had an 8.03 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP and was released in July. However, with Mayza’s previous success, the Yankees signed him to a Minor League deal, and when called up to New York in August, he had a 4.00 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 18 innings pitched. Mayza is getting older, but the change of scenery with the Yankees and previous reliability with the Blue Jays suggests that the sinkerballer could join Caleb Ferguson as a veteran lefty to put in high-leverage situations alongside young right-handers Carmen Mlodzinski, Colin Holderman, and David Bednar.
The Pirates then resigned Ryan Borucki to a Minor League deal worth $1.15 million, with incentives if he reaches the Majors, which shouldn’t be a problem if he avoids the injury bug. Borucki also had a breakout season in 2023, as he was arguably the most reliable left-handed option out of the bullpen when Cherington signed him off waivers in the middle of the season. Borucki had some solid production in appearances from 2020-2022 with the Blue Jays and Mariners but put it all together in 2023 when he had a 2.45 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP in 38 appearances for the Bucs.
Borucki could not stay off the injured list last season and only pitched in 14 games. A healthy Borucki could go a long way if he pitches like he did in 2023 and if things aren’t working out with Mayza and Ferguson. He may be competing in Spring Training with lefty Joey Wentz for a roster spot, who the Pirates picked up late last season from Detroit, as Wentz is in the second year of trying to transition from a failed big league starter to a quality reliever.
Yes, the bullpen Ben Cherington is assembling for 2025 has many question marks, the biggest being the trust in Colin Holderman and David Bednar returning to elite status as your setup man and closer, respectively. But despite his faults, Cherington has a good track record of finding arms that are diamonds in the rough or bound for a bounceback.
All four lefties the Pirates have as big-league options now have significant upside. This, along with the resurgence of RHP Dennis Santana (similar to Borucki in 2023, a diamond in the rough midseason pickup in 2024), the return of Dauri Moreta, the maturation of the nasty stuff of Kyle Nicolas, the continuing success of Carmen Mldozinski, and another sneaky find in RHP Peter Strezelecki this offseason, who has a five pitch-mix and a 3.44 ERA in 77 big league appearances, should be the accumulation of enough talent for a strong supporting cast behind Holderman and Bednar during a grueling 162-game season.
Last offseason, Ben Cherington went all in on an inconsistent veteran in Aroldis Chapman (albeit, he was the best option they had by the end of the year) to try and create a three-headed monster in the backend of the bullpen. But those three never gelled at the right time, and there was a lack of depth behind those guys (partly due to injury). No, there haven’t been any sexy bullpen signings this year, but with the limited resources the Pirates front office has, their best bullpens have been built on depth and young talent, precisely what Cherington has done here.
This year’s great equalizer for the Pirates bullpen may not be the general manager or the pitchers he has. Adding highly touted veteran assistant pitching coach Brent Strom should give fans some confidence that many of these guys will receive the tutelage they need to start sprouting come spring.