Feb 26, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeremy Bleich (68) poses for photo day at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Add former Pirates Executive to Front Office

Originally posted on Arizona Diamondbacks on SI
By Alex D'Agostino | Last updated Dec 9, 2025 2:38 PM ET

According to a new report from The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro , the Arizona Diamondbacks have hired former Pittsburgh Pirates director of pitching development Jeremy Bleich.

Bleich will take on an assistant GM role for the D-backs alongside GM Mike Hazen and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye. He also served as a major league coach, and assistant director of pitching with Pittsburgh before his promotion.

According to Piecoro, Bleich will oversee pitching development for Arizona, as well — an area that has been in need of improvement.

Arizona Diamondbacks Hire Jeremy Bleich

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Bleich was a farmhand reliever for parts of 11 seasons. He made one career appearance in the majors as a member of the then-Oakland Athletics.

But his department has done well for him post-playing career. The Pirates, despite lacking for regular contention, have had success with their pitching staff — particularly with home-grown arms.

Pittsburgh held the seventh-best team ERA in the majors (3.76), a number that was also third-best in the National League. Clearly, they have significant talent on their staff to begin with, but they've also managed to get solid results out of their developmental arms.

The D-backs, meanwhile, are looking to make large-scale changes to the way they approach the development of pitchers internally. There will be more of a focus on stuff and velocity (within tha margins of health and safety, of course), with hopes to get more out of some of their minor league arms.

“Are we in a position where we should be pushing some of this stuff and taking on more risk a little more aggressively? Yes. I do feel that way. We have spent the better part of the last month breaking that all apart here," Hazen said to Piecoro.

“I think there are certain [pitchers] that we need to do a better job identifying that need to be pushed to be given the opportunity to develop the stuff that’s necessary to become a big-leaguer," Hazen said.

It's clear the D-backs are taking these changes seriously. Hiring Bleich to a lofty front-office role is the latest move in their attempt to address a pitcher development issue that has plagued the organization for some time.

Arizona held the eighth-worst team ERA in the major leagues in 2025, despite coming into the year with high expectations. Granted, that was in large part due to major injuries to high-level arms like Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, but the need to get more out of their internal options still stood out.