Four Pirates Who Would Be Better Off Elsewhere

After another disappointing season, there are certain to be changes to the Pittsburgh Pirates roster for the 2026 season. Here, we discuss four players who would be better off with new teams. Of course, the Pirates need to make a lot more than four moves to improve next year’s squad. This analysis looks at it from the standpoint of benefiting the player.

Four Pirates Who May Benefit on Another Team’s Roster

The Frustrating Speedster

So you think it’s easy being the general manager of a major league baseball team? What do you do with a player who consistently shows strong on-base numbers in the minor leagues and then comes to the big club and constantly gets himself out by chasing bad pitches? That’s the dilemma the Pirates face every time speedy Ji Hwan Bae is promoted to the big club. In seven minor league seasons, the left-handed-batting Bae is slashing .302/.386/.434. In parts of four major league seasons, those numbers are .228/.293/.299. That’s largely because he strikes out at an unacceptable 25.3 percent clip, due to a 29.8 percent chase rate.

Bae got his latest chance on May 9, when the Pirates promoted him as part of the first roster move of the Don Kelly Era. Six days and a 1-for-7 later, he was back at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he remained and is currently on the injured list. He’s a good defensive outfielder who can fill in at second base and is useful as a pinch runner. But whenever he gets to the majors, his on-base skills don’t translate. After four years up and down between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, maybe the light will go on for him elsewhere.

“Can’t Holder-Man”

That’s the nickname for Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Colin Holderman on social media. Holderman was a useful eighth-inning specialist after the Pirates picked him up from the New York Mets in a 2022 trade deadline deal for Daniel Vogelbach. In 2024, he had a 0.68 ERA on June 22. His season soon unraveled, however. He had a horrible five-game stretch from July 28 to August 7, where he gave up 11 runs (nine earned) in 4 1/3 innings. He may have been pitching with an injury, and indeed, went on the injured list thereafter. Holderman righted himself when he was reactivated in September, surrendering just two earned runs in 11 games.

Unfortunately, this season has been nothing short of a disaster for Holderman. Shuttling back and forth from the injured list to Triple-A to the Pirates active roster, Holderman has posted a 7.89 ERA, 6.45 FIP, and 1.938 WHIP in 20 major league games heading into Tuesday’s action. He’s been pitching in lower-leverage situations lately. It’s nickel psychology coming from this writer, but it seems that whenever he takes the mound in a Pirates uniform, there’s an air about him like he’s returning to the scene of an accident. A different uniform might suit him better.

The Shortstop of the Future Until He Wasn’t

When Ben Cherington took over as Pirates general manager in 2019, he acquired shortstop Liover Peguero in his first trade. Peguero was up with the Pirates briefly in 2022. The Pirates gave him an extended look in 2023, when the right-handed batter hit .237/.280/.374, 7 HR, and 26 RBI in 59 games. Perguero was a forgotten man in 2024. This season at Triple-A, he was groomed as a utility player. He rejoined the Pirates this past July after Adam Frazier was traded. So far, he’s hitting .192/.263/.370, 4 HR, and 7 RBI in 28 games. He’s seen action in the middle infield, but he’s been used mainly as the right-handed half of a first base platoon. Sorry, folks, but he’ll never stick in that role long-term in the majors. In fact, recently recalled Nick Yorke was in Tuesday’s lineup at first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw.

Thought to be the shortstop of the future, Peguero was blocked by Oneil Cruz on the Pirates roster. Once Cruz was moved to center field, Isiah Kiner-Falefa took the shortstop position. Lately, judging by the allocation of playing time, it appears the Pirates prefer Jared Triolo there. Peguero, who’s only 24 and was a ranked prospect when the Pirates acquired him, probably imagined he’d have gotten more out of his professional career by now. Not that he’s played great baseball for the Pirates, but he might benefit from a fresh evaluation by another organization.

“Suwhiffski”

Let’s hand it to Pirates fans on social media. They can be an ornery bunch, but they do come up with some clever nicknames. Witness the case of Jack Suwinski, whom they’ve christened “Suwhiffski.” Like Peguero, the left-handed-batting Suwinski was acquired in an early Cherington trade. Unlike Peguero, he’s gotten plenty of opportunities. From 2022 to 2023, he hit .215/.322/.436, 45 HR, and 112 RBI. His 26 home runs led the club in 2023. In two seasons since then, however, he’s hitting .166/.272/.296, 12 HR, and 34 RBI. He’s on the injured list at present.