The Pirates are bringing veteran right-hander Mike Clevinger into Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, signing him to a minor league deal with a shot to prove he still has something left in the tank.
Clevinger, now 34, spent most of the 2025 season with the White Sox organization, working in Triple-A after a rough start to the year in the big leagues. He opened the season in Chicago’s bullpen, but it was a short-lived stint-just 5 2/3 innings with five earned runs and eight walks.
That performance led to his removal from the roster, and he spent the rest of the season rebuilding as a starter in the minors. His numbers weren’t eye-popping, but they were solid: a 4.20 ERA with strikeout and walk rates that hovered right around league average.
For Clevinger, this is another chapter in a career that’s seen its share of ups and downs. He was once a key piece of a strong Cleveland rotation, flashing swing-and-miss stuff and front-line potential.
But a Tommy John surgery in 2020 changed the trajectory. Since then, he’s been more of a pitch-to-contact guy, managing decent run prevention in 2022 and 2023 but without the same strikeout punch that once made him so effective.
A neck injury requiring surgery limited him to just four starts in 2024, and he’s largely been off the MLB radar the past two seasons.
For Pittsburgh, this move is more about depth than upside. The Pirates have a rotation full of promise but not a lot of proven durability.
Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller are the headliners, but the team thinned out its depth by trading Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo to bolster the offense. Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft are talented but still untested over a full big-league season.
Jared Jones is recovering from UCL surgery, which leaves the fifth starter spot wide open heading into camp. Hunter Barco, Thomas Harrington, and Carmen Mlodzinski are all in the mix, but any Spring Training injury could quickly stretch the rotation thin.
That’s where a guy like Clevinger fits in-not necessarily as a rotation savior, but as a safety net. He gives the Pirates a veteran arm who’s been through the grind and can eat innings if needed, whether in Triple-A or as a spot starter during the season.
And while this minor league deal doesn’t change the Pirates’ broader pitching plans, it’s clear they’re still in the market for more. They’ve even been linked to Framber Valdez, which would be a surprising splash given Pittsburgh’s typically conservative payroll-but it shows they’re at least exploring all options.
Even if Valdez lands elsewhere, there are still plenty of mid-rotation and back-end arms available that could help stabilize the staff.
Bottom line: Clevinger isn’t being brought in to headline the rotation. But in a season where Pittsburgh’s pitching depth could be tested early and often, having a veteran like him stashed at Triple-A Indianapolis is a smart insurance policy.