Photo provided by Matt Lynch
The Pittsburgh Pirates will enter the 2026 season with raised expectations coming off their seventh losing season in a row.
Last year, the Pirates finished in last place in the National League Central with a 71-91 record. The disappointing season was due to an abysmal offense, not a lack of pitching.
In fact, the Pirates had one of the better starting rotations in baseball last season. Pittsburgh ranked sixth in MLB in ERA (3.71) and WHIP (1.19) from their starting pitchers.
That starting rotation will look partially different this year. The Pirates traded starters Mike Burrows (Astros) and Johan Oviedo (Red Sox) during the offseason. Burrows finished fifth on the team with 19 starts (23 total appearances) and went 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA. Oviedo returned to the mound after Tommy John surgery and a lat injury and had a 3.57 ERA in nine starts.
But the staff ace will return as the reigning National League Cy Young winner. If Paul Skenes pitches in year three like he did in year two — or his rookie season for that matter — the Pirates can almost guarantee they will have a chance to win every fifth day.
Skenes went 10-10 with a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts and struck out 216 batters in 187.2 innings during his Cy Young campaign. He became the third pitcher from the Pirates to take home the honor along with Vern Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990).
Also returning is Mitch Keller, the most veteran member of the staff who turns 30 shortly after Opening Day. With Keller, the Pirates are counting on continued durability. The right-hander has made at least 31 appearances each of the last four seasons and has a 4.15 ERA. Last year, he finished 6-15 with a 4.19 ERA.
This year, however, Keller and the Pirates are hoping he can put two halves together and finish the year strong instead of fading down the stretch.
Braxton Ashcraft will look to build upon a strong rookie season last year. The 26-year-old took the mound 26 times (eight starts) and went 4-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 69.2 innings. Ashcraft will likely receive an extended workload, but the Pirates will need to be cautious given his injury history.
Top prospect Bubba Chandler figures to have a prominent role in the rotation after making his big-league debut last season. Chandler went 4-1 with a 4.02 ERA in seven appearances/four starts to end the 2025 season.
As things currently stand, the final spot in the rotation will go to one of Hunter Barco, Thomas Harrington, José Urquidy or Mike Clevinger. Barco is a top 100 prospect who made his debut at the end of the season. Harrington also made his debut last season and struggled, but is still considered a quality prospect. Urquidy recently agreed to a one-year deal with the Pirates and Clevinger joined the club as a non-roster invitee. And Jared Jones will be back sometime after the season starts.
But it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that the Pirates add a veteran starter before the start of the season. Among the possibilities is Jose Quintana, a player the Pittsburgh has checked in on, a source told PBN. Quintana revitalized his career with the Pirates in 2022 and has a 3.53 ERA in 100 starts since the beginning of that season.
Whether it’s Quintana or someone else, the current expectation is the Pirates will add another starter with pitchers and catchers on their way to Bradenton.
Overall, the starting rotation looks like it will once again be a strength of the team.
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