September is doing the Pirates a favor.
The games still matter in 2026, but the month is already helping sort out what Pittsburgh should and shouldn’t carry into 2027. If this club is serious about entering next season as a contender, then the back end of the roster can’t be a museum of familiar names. The Pirates need to trim the fat, spend more carefully and, in one case, decide whether the talent is worth the trouble.
Three players are making that easier.
Carmen Mlodzinski is the toughest call, because the arm itself hasn’t been the issue. He has a 3.87 ERA over 114 innings this season, with work split between the rotation, the bullpen and bulk relief.
The problem came earlier in the year, when he was bumped from the rotation after Jared Jones returned, reacted poorly to the move and later told the organization he wasn’t ready to pitch out of the bullpen. Pittsburgh then placed him on the restricted list.
Being unhappy about losing a starting role is one thing. Refusing to make yourself available because you dislike the assignment is another.
Mlodzinski eventually came back and said the right things, but the episode left a real question hanging over him: how will he respond when the Pirates ask him to do something he doesn’t want to do? With Skenes, Jones, Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft forming the core of the rotation picture, Mlodzinski is starting to look more like an offseason trade chip than a player the Pirates need to bend over backward to keep in 2027.
Gregory Soto’s situation is different, but the conclusion points the same way. Saturday at Wrigley Field was another reminder that Pittsburgh doesn’t need to chase a reunion. Soto inherited a 3-2 lead after seven strong innings from Paul Skenes and couldn’t finish the job, walking in an RBI before hitting Nico Hoerner with the bases loaded to force in the winning run in a 4-3 loss.
His season overall has been solid enough - a 3.08 ERA with 14 saves - but he’s on a one-year, $7.75 million deal and set for free agency after the season. That money can be used better.
Mason Montgomery has already emerged as a real late-inning option, and Pittsburgh has other bullpen pieces it can control. Rather than handing another meaningful contract to a veteran reliever, the Pirates should let Soto’s salary come off the books, add to that money and chase another veteran starter.
This rotation has big upside, but Keller’s injury and Ashcraft’s late-season arm issue have already shown how fast depth can evaporate.
Billy Cook’s case is the cleanest of the three. He’s hitting .176 with a .443 OPS, with no home runs and two RBI in 51 at-bats this season.
He does bring speed, outfield ability and some defensive versatility, but that’s not enough for a final roster spot on a team that wants to contend. Those fringe jobs need at least one reliable carrying tool, and Cook hasn’t provided nearly enough offense to justify keeping that lane open.
For Pittsburgh, the winter should be about lifting the floor. That means fewer automatic returns, fewer long auditions and fewer spots handed out based on what a player might become someday.
In Other News...
Penguins Are Watching An NHL Standoff That Could Shift The Market
Connor Hellebuycks holdout has become the kind of early-season standoff that can ripple well beyond one roster, and the Penguins are among the clubs watching it with interest. If a goalie of that stature is unavailable while a potential trade hangs in the balance, it can alter the way front offices think about urgency, leverage and timing, especially with training camps already underway around the league.
Pittsburgh has its own roster questions to sort through after not inviting seven prospects to camp, while the organization also sifted through a mixed showing from its young players in a recent tournament. Around the NHL, teams have been busy locking up younger talent on long-term deals, from Anaheims new pact with Cutter Gauthier to recent signings in Washington, New Jersey, Carolina, Ottawa and Montreal, and that backdrop only adds to the sense that one unresolved goalie situation could still reshape the market. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Doubled Down On A Very Pittsburgh Identity
The Penguins are leaning even harder into a familiar Pittsburgh theme. United States Steel Corporation will become the clubs official helmet sponsor for the 2026-27 NHL season, with the U.S. Steel logo set to appear on every Penguins helmet, from home and road lids to alternates and practice gear. It is the latest step in a partnership that dates back to 2021, and one that feels especially on-brand for a team that has long embraced the citys industrial identity.
The sponsorship will not be seen in public right away, either. The logo is scheduled to debut when the Penguins take the ice for their preseason game on September 21, 2026, giving the organization a little runway before the change becomes part of the everyday look. For a franchise that has always been tightly tied to its city, the move is another reminder that some team partnerships go well beyond branding and land squarely in the civic DNA of Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Are Giving A Familiar Defenseman One More Chance To Matter
Training camp season is bringing the usual flurry of low-risk auditions, and for the Penguins, one of the more notable name to land in that mix is goaltender Collin Delia on a professional tryout. PTOs rarely generate much noise on their own, but they can matter for a team sorting through depth, insurance and competition before the preseason settles into a clearer picture. Around the league, the Lightning brought in veteran forward Luke Glendening on the same kind of deal, while Ottawa added goalie Vadim Zherenko.
The most interesting wrinkle for Pittsburghs perspective is how these tryout agreements can open a door without guaranteeing anything beyond a chance to be seen. Delia will get that opportunity in camp and preseason, and Dallas is offering the same sort of shot to defenseman Ben Gleason, a familiar face trying to carve out a place in a crowded field. For teams and players alike, the appeal is simple enough: one more chance to matter, and one more round of evaluation before the roster decisions start to harden. [Read more 🡒]