The Pirates have spent years collecting arms, and this winter could be the moment they finally cash one in for something they need more urgently: offense.
Carmen Mlodzinski may not be the flashiest name on the market, but he’s the kind of player other teams can talk themselves into. MLB Trade Rumors ranked the 27-year-old right-hander No. 30 on its list of top 40 trade candidates for the 2026-27 offseason, and it’s easy to see why.
He finished 2026 with a 3.95 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 123 innings, splitting time between 12 starts and 25 relief outings. He’s also projected to make just $1.6 million in arbitration and remains under team control through 2029.
That mix of cost control, flexibility and experience gives Mlodzinski real value. It also puts Ben Cherington in a familiar spot: deciding whether a pitcher is more useful on the roster or as trade currency.
Mlodzinski’s role got murky during the 2026 season when Pittsburgh shifted him out of the rotation after Jared Jones returned from injury. He wasn’t happy about it, briefly went on the restricted list, then came back and accepted a bullpen job. Even then, he made it clear that starting is still what he wants, while also saying he’d help wherever the Pirates needed him.
The problem is that the road back to a permanent rotation spot in Pittsburgh doesn’t look wide open. Paul Skenes, Jones, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Mitch Keller are all expected to be in the mix for starting jobs in 2027. Even with the injury uncertainty and Keller’s future not fully settled, Mlodzinski looks more like insurance than a locked-in starter.
That makes him useful. It also makes him movable.
And the Pirates have a pretty obvious area that needs help. Third base remains unsettled after Nick Gonzales’ defensive issues in 2026.
Gonzales hit .303, but he also posted minus-15 defensive runs saved and minus-11 outs above average at the position. Pittsburgh can’t just shrug that off because the bat finally showed up.
The lineup as a whole had another glaring issue, too: left-handed pitching. The Pirates went 18-33 against left-handed starters, which says plenty about where the offense fell short. A right-handed bat who can help both the lineup and the infield defense should be near the top of the list for Cherington.
That’s why Mlodzinski stands out as a possible trade chip. Pittsburgh could use a major league pitcher with team control to land a controllable position player instead of dipping into the prospect pool again or spending heavily in free agency.
He probably isn’t enough to bring back an impact third baseman on his own. His strikeout numbers aren’t overwhelming, and his long-term role is still a little fuzzy. But he could headline a smaller deal or be part of a bigger one.
The Pirates have already shown they’re willing to use pitching depth that way. Last offseason, Cherington moved Mike Burrows in the three-team deal that brought Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh, and Lowe responded with 35 home runs. That’s the kind of payoff the front office is chasing when it turns one surplus into a need.
Of course, there’s risk here, too. Keller is coming back from a significant injury, Ashcraft finished 2026 on the sidelines, and the pitching staff wasn’t as dominant as expected. Moving Mlodzinski would take away a cheap fallback option from a staff that may need one.
Still, there’s a difference between keeping depth and refusing to use it.
The Pirates finished 2026 at 82 wins, their first winning season since 2018. If they want to keep moving forward, they can’t just run it back and hope the same group produces a different result.
Cherington has spent years building up the pitching side of the roster. Now comes the harder part: using that strength to fix what’s broken elsewhere.
Mlodzinski may not be the biggest name on the board, but he could be one of the smartest ways for Pittsburgh to improve.
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