Left-handed pitching tops the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ offseason shopping list as general manager Ben Cherington scouts relief help and rotation options at the MLB general manager meetings in Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Nearly half of all major league at-bats in 2026 went to left-handed hitters. That total marks the highest rate in baseball since 1961, creating an urgent demand for specialized southpaw counters across the league.
Left-handed setup man Gregory Soto is currently a free agent.
His departure leaves Brandon Eisert and Evan Sisk as the primary southpaw bullpen complements to reliever Mason Montgomery.
Top left-handed pitching prospect Hunter Barco remains an internal option despite struggling with walks in his limited major league action. Connor Wietgrefe also holds organizational support ahead of a projected 2027 debut.
Rotation Plans for Keller
Four rotation spots belong to right-handers Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones, and Bubba Chandler. Mitch Keller occupies the fifth spot, though his 2026 season ended early due to a right shoulder injury.
Cherington expressed confidence in Keller’s recovery during his Tuesday media session.
“Best outcome for him, best outcome for the Pirates, is he comes in and he’s clearly one of those guys we’re counting on 32 times a year,” Cherington told the [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette].
“I’m betting that’ll be the outcome that we get.”
Cherington did not rule out external rotation upgrades.
“If there’s ways to make the team better through the rotation, then we’re going to pursue that,” Cherington told the [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]. “There’s nothing that’s out of bounds.”
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