The Pirates have a rotation that looks sturdy on paper, but the left side is still missing. After the General Managers’ Meetings in Las Vegas, one name stands out as a possible fit for Pittsburgh: Robbie Ray.
Ray checks a lot of boxes for a club that wants to balance out its pitching staff. He’s a left-handed starter, and he’s been one of the more reliable arms in the sport since breaking in in 2014. He has seven seasons with an ERA under 4.00, including the last two years, and he’s been a regular 30-plus start pitcher for most of his career.
His résumé is loaded. Ray made the All-Star team in 2017 and 2025, and he won the American League Cy Young Award in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays after leading the AL with a 2.84 ERA and MLB with 248 strikeouts.
The recent results are strong, too. Over the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Ray went 24-16 across 62 starts with a 3.62 ERA in 348.0 innings, a 1.28 WHIP and an 8.4 K/9. That production came after Tommy John Surgery limited him to just eight total starts in 2023 and 2024.
He’s also done a good job keeping the ball in the park. Ray allowed 44 home runs over the past two seasons, which ranked 20th-fewest among qualified pitchers. That matters in a place like PNC Park, where the Pirates could benefit from his profile.
There’s more to like in the pitch mix, too. Ray made notable gains with his off-speed stuff, with his changeup and curveball improving from -1 and -8 run value in 2025 to +5 and +7, respectively, per Statcast.
The fit is obvious when you look at Pittsburgh’s 2026 rotation. The group was entirely right-handed: Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler, with Carmen Mlodzinski filling in for the first two months of the season. The Pirates have already shown a willingness to add a left-handed starter in recent years, most recently Andrew Heaney in 2025, and Ray would slide into that kind of role while giving them more flexibility.
Still, this isn’t a perfect match without some questions. Ray had a rough stretch with the San Diego Padres after the San Francisco Giants traded him there at the deadline. In nine starts, he posted a 5.02 ERA over 43 innings, averaged fewer than five innings per outing, and struck out 33 while walking 27.
Age is part of the conversation, too. Ray is 35 and his velocity has dipped, with his four-seam fastball dropping from 94.8 mph to 93.1 mph and his other pitch from 88.6 mph to 86.1 mph, both from 2021 to 2026.
If Pittsburgh goes after him, the deal would likely need to be short-term, probably one or two years. A contract in the $10-$15 million AAV range, or even a one-year arrangement, would make the most sense if the Pirates are willing to push their payroll a bit.
The other wrinkle is roster fit. The Pirates’ rotation is already full unless they decide to use a six-man setup. Even so, Ray would give them needed depth and the left-handed presence they’re looking for.
It would not be a surprise if Pittsburgh makes a run at him. There’s a real chance Robbie Ray ends up in black and gold next season.
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Still, the organization is sounding optimistic about what comes next. General manager Ben Cherington said Keller is in good shape physically and should head into the offseason without any added limitations, a meaningful development for a club that is counting on him to rebound in 2027. For Pittsburgh, the bigger question now is whether a healthy winter can help reset a pitcher the team still believes can be part of the solution in its rotation. [Read more 🡒]