Pirates Minor League Recap: Bubba Chandler Throws 7 No-Hit Innings

Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s number one pitching prospect and the number two overall prospect in baseball, Chandler’s dominance begs the question: Why is he still in the minors?

While factors like roster flexibility and development refinement often play a role, another potential consideration looms — the Super Two rule.

Unlike the standard service-time rules that delay free agency, the Super Two rule impacts when a player becomes eligible for salary arbitration. Typically, players reach arbitration after three full years of MLB service.

However, the top 22% of players with between two and three years of service time qualify early, granting them four arbitration years instead of three — meaning they earn higher salaries sooner.

For a player like Chandler, who projects as a future ace, this distinction could cost the Pirates millions in additional salary over time. If he were called up now, he’d likely accrue enough service time to qualify for Super Two status after the 2027 season, leading to earlier — and more expensive — arbitration raises.

Historically, the Super Two cutoff has ranged between 2 years, 115 days and 2 years, 146 days of service time. To avoid triggering early arbitration, teams often delay promotions until mid-June or later. If the Pirates wait until early June to call up Chandler, they could minimize the risk of him reaching Super Two status down the road.

A popular cut-off date being floated around right now is June 6th, so it would not be surprising to see the Pirates wait until after this.

This strategy isn’t uncommon. The Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, for example, qualified for Super Two in 2016, earning $5 million in his first arbitration year — far more than he would have otherwise. For small-market teams like Pittsburgh, these financial implications matter.

The Pirates won’t publicly admit if service time is influencing their decision — doing so could invite scrutiny from the MLB Players Association. There are legitimate baseball reasons to keep Chandler in AAA, such as refining his command or managing his workload. Additionally, Pittsburgh may want to ensure he’s mentally prepared before facing MLB hitters every fifth day.

But with Chandler outperforming many current MLB starters, the optics are hard to ignore. If the Pirates wait until June to promote him, it will only fuel speculation that financial considerations — not just development — are at play.

While Super Two status doesn’t affect free agency (Chandler wouldn’t hit the open market until after 2031 at the earliest), it does impact how much he’d earn in his pre-free-agency years. For a Pirates team that operates on a tight budget, delaying his promotion by a few weeks could mean significant long-term savings.

For now, Chandler continues to dominate AAA hitters, making his eventual call-up inevitable. The only question is when, and whether service time rules will play a role in the timing.

Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A)

Results & Current Record: 1-5 vs. Toledo, 1-0 vs Nashville, 28-22 this season
Top Performers:

• SP Bubba Chandler: 1 GS, 6.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
• SP Carmen Mlodzinski: 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 ER, 10 K
• SP Braxton Ashcraft: 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 ER, 9 K (Promoted to Pittsburgh on Monday)

Notable: Chandler took a no-hitter bid into the seventh inning against Toledo. His first hit allowed was to Gage Workman to lead off the seventh.

Altoona Curve (Double-A)

Results & Current Record: 1-4 vs. Akron, 21-23 this season
Top Performers:

• 2B Termarr Johnson: .278 AVG, .381 OBP, 2 2B since May 20
• SP Po-Yu Chen: 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K

Notable: The Curve are in a power slump, as they have not hit a home run since Saturday, May 17th - seven games without a longball.

Greensboro Grasshoppers (High-A)

Results & Current Record: 5-1 vs Asheville, 32-13 this season
Top Performers:

• 2B Keiner Delgado: .409 AVG, .581 OBP, 4 HR, 1 2B, 10 RBI since May 20
• OF Shalin Polanco: .320 AVG, .370 OBP, 3 HR, 1 2B since May 20
• 1B Esmerlyn Valdez: 3 HR since May 20

Notable: The Grasshoppers currently have a five game winning streak, and have won 10 of their last 12 games.

Bradenton Marauders (Low-A)

Results & Current Record: 3-3 vs Clearwater, 20-24 this season
Top Performers:

• SS Konnor Griffin: .208 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB since May 20
• C Derek Berg: .357 AVG, .400 OBP, 1 2B, 1 3B since May 20
• OF Yordany De Los Santos: .313 AVG, .415 OBP, 3 2B, 3 RBI since May 20
• SP Clevari Tejada: 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Notable: Griffin cooled off a bit this week, but still smacked a home run in the Clearwater series. It was the 19-year-old's eighth longball of the season.

Player of the Week:

Delgado (GRN) – The 21-year-old continued his torrid month of May this past week. He had four home runs and ten RBI in six games. In 22 at-bats, he had a whopping nine hits, good for a .409 batting average. Delgado, the Pirates' 26th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has six home runs and 12 RBI in the last two weeks.

This Week:

• Indianapolis Indians: vs. Nashville (May 26-June 1)
• Altoona Curve: vs. Portland (May 27-June 1)
• Greensboro Grasshoppers: vs. Bowling Green (May 27-June 1)
• Bradenton Marauders: @ Fort Myers (May 27-29), vs. Lakeland (May 30-June 1)