Sep 10, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Three Innings-Eating Pitchers Pirates Should Consider Adding

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 7:00 PM ET

While money isn't everything, it sure is important to a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates.

No one can take away the fact the Pirates have made a few moves this offseason, but those still might not be enough to get them to the next level.

Even with the reigning Cy Young winner, this team's pitching depth continues to be questioned. ESPN's David Schoenfield recently linked the Pirates to not one, not two, but three viable pitching options they could add to their disposal.

One of these options is a bit younger than the others, but they're all considered "inning eating starters" who have been around the block. For Pittsburgh, that's exactly what they need.

1. Chris Bassitt

The oldest pitcher of the bunch is the soon to be 37-year-old. There's a sizeable gap between him and Skenes, but that's neither here nor there.

Regardless, Bassitt went 11-9 last season with a 3.96 ERA. He's coming off three years in Toronto where he started 30+ games each year. In fact, he hasn't started fewer than 30 games in a season since 2021.

Bassitt has been around since 2014 and would be an absolute no brainer to bring in for a year if the Pirates can. Knowing Justin Verlander landed a one-year, $15 million deal last year, one would expect Bassitt to be in the same range.

2. Lucas Giolito

The youngest pitcher Schoenfield suggested conveniently happens to have been in the league since 2016. Giolito went 10-4 last season as he saw a bit of a career resurgence with the Boston Red Sox.

This is a righty that had 10+ wins from 2018-22, excluding the modified 2020 season. Knowing he just had a great year, Giolito will likely be in that similar price range which is the only hard pill to swallow. Either way, he's used to pitching 120-180 innings in a season.

3. Nick Martinez

Martinez is the weakest of the three but that doesn't mean he's not worth considering. It's hard to look past his 14 losses last year, but that's not the end of the world as most of the time that's more on their run support than anything else (i.e. Paul Skenes).

The 35-year-old made a career high 26 starts last year and would be featured in a similar role this season. Even if these three players don't start every game, they could be a huge part of the middle bullpen that eats multiple innings on a few occasions every week. Other than 2016, Martinez hasn't thrown fewer than 106 innings in a season.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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