Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) June 7, 2022 David Hague/PBN

The Pittsburgh Pirates were rumored to be a potential suitor for left-handed starting pitcher Framber Valdez before he signed a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.

While the Pirates were once again dipping their toes in the high-profile end of the free agent pool, Valdez landing in Pittsburgh was always a longshot despite reports of aggressive interest.

It came as no surprise to see Valdez land with another team, especially for nearly $40 million per season, a price the Pirates would never have met.

But while Valdez was far and away the top starting pitcher remaining in free agency this offseason, there are still plenty of good options still on the board. And the Pirates need to land one of them.

This is after the Pirates already signed veteran right-hander Mike Clevinger to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. Clevinger could serve as needed depth, but Pittsburgh should be aiming higher to round out their starting rotation.

Looking at the current rotation mix, the Pirates have reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes at the top. Mitch Keller, the most veteran member of the staff, has been a consistent innings eater. But outside of those two, more experience is needed.

Braxton Ashcraft figures to spend most of his time as a starting pitcher this coming season after a strong rookie year. But Ashcraft’s 118 innings between Triple-A Indianapolis and Pittsburgh last season were by far the most of his professional career, not to mention he has a pretty extensive injury history.

Bubba Chandler is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and the Pirates are hoping he will be as advertised. But he also only has 31.1 big-league innings under his belt.

As currently constructed, the fifth and final spot in the rotation will either go to Carmen Mldozinski, who was shaky as a starter last season but has thrived in the bullpen, or Hunter Barco, who has pitched three innings in his brief MLB career. 

While there is plenty of upside in the starting rotation, and there will be more once Jared Jones returns from elbow surgery, the Pirates would be wise to add one veteran starter to the mix.

Old friends Jose Quintana and Tyler Anderson make sense as left-handed options. Zac Gallen, Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito and Nick Martinez are all up a step on the ladder but are still looking for homes. Walker Buehler, who was drafted by the Pirates out of high school but did not sign, is still available.

Manager Don Kelly would surely like to reunite with one of his former teammates in future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, though that seems unlikely.

But whichever option they choose to pursue, there are enough available starters for the Pirates to consider, all within their price range if they were somewhat willing to try and land Valdez. 

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