Ben Cherington has a tricky offseason puzzle on his hands, and the money is going to disappear fast. The Pirates need to come out of it with more than one fix, which means every dollar spent on one hole makes it harder to patch the next.
Brandon Lowe sits at the top of the wish list, but even that market could get messy in a hurry. Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects Lowe at three years and $45 million, while Spotrac has him at three years and $68.4 million. There’s also a real chance he lands above both figures.
And Lowe is only part of the shopping list. Pittsburgh still needs a left-handed starter, a right-handed power bat, a couple of bullpen arms and, if the budget allows, help for the bench too. That’s a lot to squeeze into one winter.
That’s why a lower-cost arm like Patrick Sandoval starts to make sense. The former Boston Red Sox lefty may not jump off the page, but he could be exactly the kind of buy-low pitcher the Pirates need if they want to stretch their payroll and still address multiple spots.
Bowden projects Foster Griffin at three years and $67 million, Trevor Rogers at three years and $64 million, and Robbie Ray at two years and $45 million. Put those numbers next to Lowe’s market, and it starts to look like Pittsburgh may have to choose between a big bat and a more expensive mid-rotation lefty.
Sandoval gives them a cheaper path.
He made 15 appearances, 13 of them starts, for Boston and logged 70 1/3 innings with a 5.12 ERA. On the surface, that looks a lot like another left-handed version of Mitch Keller, who finished 2026 with a 5.29 ERA. But the deeper numbers tell a different story.
Sandoval’s 3.77 FIP was far better than Keller’s 4.54 mark, and the reasons are easy to spot. He posted a 34.6% hard-hit rate and an 87.5 miles per hour average exit velocity, good for the 78th and 77th percentiles, respectively.
His 6.5% barrel rate also ranked in the 67th percentile. Add in a 22.9% strikeout rate, and there’s enough there to see why he could be more useful than his ERA suggests.
There’s also the health piece. Sandoval didn’t get back on the mound until July 9, his first appearance since June 21, 2024, after tearing his UCL and going through Tommy John surgery. He dealt with multiple setbacks during the rehab process, so it’s fair to think he was still shaking off rust in 2026.
At 30, he’s not the same young arm who broke through with the Los Angeles Angels, but there’s still some upside here. His best season came in 2022, when he posted a 2.91 ERA at age 25.
Nobody should expect that exact version again, though the possibility of more than he showed this year is part of the appeal. For a young staff that’s still climbing, the experience matters too.
The pitch mix is another reason Sandoval fits. His changeup was a real weapon, holding hitters to a .170 average while producing a 39.7% whiff rate.
That gives him a strong answer against right-handed hitters. His slider, though, was a problem in 2026, as opponents hit .300 against it.
If Pittsburgh can help get that pitch back to being a strength, he could be much tougher on lefties as well.
The price tag is what really seals it. Spotrac values Sandoval at $2.4 million on a one-year deal, and even if he lands a little above that, he’s still in the one-year, $4 million to $5 million range.
For the Pirates, that’s the kind of deal that opens doors elsewhere. If they want Lowe and still want to keep building out the rest of the roster, Sandoval looks like the kind of inexpensive gamble worth taking.
In Other News...
Pirates Face A Tough Bullpen Decision With Derek Diamond
Derek Diamonds rise through the Pirates system has put him squarely on the radar at a tricky time for the organization. The right-hander was recognized as the clubs Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year after a strong minor league season, and that kind of progress tends to force a front office to make harder choices than it would like.
Now comes the part Pittsburgh has to sort through before the Rule 5 Draft, when eligible prospects can be taken by other teams if they are left unprotected. The Pirates have limited room on the 40-man roster and more than one player to consider, so Diamonds case is part performance, part timing, and part roster math, with the final call carrying real consequences for the bullpen picture ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Skenes Gave Pirates Fans A Fun Offseason Look Away From Baseball
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The pair shared the costumes on social media, and the contrast fit the moment well: Skenes is coming off another notable year on the mound, while Dunne is preparing for her acting debut in Foxs Baywatch reboot, set to premiere in January 2027. For Pirates fans, it was a reminder that even in the quiet months, Skenes still finds a way to stay in the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Face A Rotation Question That Could Test Their Offseason Plan
The Pirates offseason plan has already pointed toward pitching depth, and the latest wrinkle is the shape of their rotation. Right now, Pittsburghs starting group is all right-handed, which leaves the club open to adding a lefty if the right opportunity comes along. That search fits with a front office that has also been weighing internal options, including the possibility of promoting rookies, while trying to keep the staff balanced for the long haul.
One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Foster Griffin, coming off a strong 2026 season split between the Nationals and Guardians. The fit is easy to understand from Pittsburghs side, but so is the challenge: any pursuit will have to be measured against what the market asks for and how much the Pirates want to commit to a pitcher who would be brought in as part of a broader rotation puzzle rather than as a simple plug-and-play answer. [Read more 🡒]