The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen has had its fair share of ups and downs early in the 2026 season. Although they have the second-best strikeout rate (26.6%), with the ninth-lowest exit velocity (88.2 MPH), and seventh-best FanGraphs Stuff+ as a unit (104), they also have the sixth-highest walk rate (13.7%) and eighth-highest barrel rate (9.3%). They already made one move to improve the bullpen by optioning top prospect Hunter Barco and recalling lefty relief prospect Evan Sisk, but there is more they can do. It may still be early in the 2026 season, but the Pirates can make some easy roster moves that can potentially go a long way right now and make their relief pitching staff much better.
Time To Move on From Jose Urquidy
The first thing the Pirates need to do is move on from Jose Urquidy. Urquidy was signed by the Pirates this past offseason and reunited with pitching coach Bill Murphy. The right-hander was once a solid back-rotation starter for the Houston Astros, posting a 3.74 ERA, 4.35 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP in 342 innings from 2019 through 2022. Urquidy had an unimpressive 20.3% strikeout rate and 1.47 HR/9 ratio; however also put up a quality 5.2% walk rate.
Unfortunately, Urquidy has suffered a laundry list of injuries since the start of the 2023 season. He has only tossed 71 2/3 innings since 2023 Opening Day, and did not throw a single pitch in the Major Leagues in 2024. So far, 6 1/3 of those innings have come in a Pirates uniform. Urquidy has struggled badly in that small sample size, allowing a whopping 15 hits, one of which was a home run, and six earned runs. Moving Urquidy to the bullpen hasn’t improved his stuff, with a 100 FanGraphs Stuff+, which is identical to his 2020-2022 Stuff+. He doesn’t look anywhere near established.
Urquidy’s Replacements
The Pirates have no shortage of pitchers who could take Urquidy’s spot in the bullpen (aside from the recently optioned Barco). Brandan Bidois is one of the most obvious solutions. Although the right-handed relief prospect has struggled through 6 1/3 innings this year, he was lights out in 2025. In 61 1/3 innings, Bidois put up a 0.74 ERA, struck out 30% of opponents, had an 11.7% walk rate, and didn’t allow a single home run. Bidois also has elite stuff on the mound, headlined by a mid-to-upper-90s fastball with upwards of 20 inches of induced vertical break.
If the Pirates want a pitcher who can handle multiple innings at a time, then they could call upon Thomas Harrington. Harrington entered 2025 as a consensus top 100 prospect, but struggled, both in the minor leagues and briefly in his Major League appearances. He tossed 96 innings at Triple-A in 2026, with a 5.34 ERA, 21.7% K%, and 8% BB%. The right-hander is off to a solid start to 2026. So far, he has only allowed four earned runs, six walks, and has gotten a dozen opponents down on strikes in 12 2/3 innings of work.
Veteran right-hander Mike Clevinger is also an option to replace Urquidy. The former Cleveland ace has struggled the last few seasons and spent most of 2025 at the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate. He pitched 100 2/3 innings in the minor leagues, working to a 4.20 ERA, striking out 21.9% of opponents, with an 8.5% walk rate. Clevinger has pitched 8 2/3 innings at Indianapolis this year, allowing five earned runs with five walks, but nine K’s. However, he is sitting at 95.1 MPH with his four-seam fastball with 13.2 inches of vertical drop. That is a step forward from last year, when he sat at 94.4 MPH with 14.7 inches of vertical break. Clevinger was also surprisingly good during Spring Training.
Low-Leverage Lawrence
After replacing Urquidy, the Pirates need to stop giving Justin Lawrence high-leverage situations to work with. His 1.16 average leverage index at the start of an inning is nearly the same as Gregory Soto, who sits at 1.18, and just above Isaac Mattson, coming in at 1.14. However, while Soto and Mattson have been solid to open 2026, Lawrence has not.
In 7 1/3 innings, Lawrence has already allowed eight earned runs. The right-hander has gotten knocked around, giving up nine hits, three of which were home runs. Walks have also given Lawrence some trouble, with five free passes so far this year. His win percentage added (WPA) on the year is -0.76. On the plus side, he has a dozen K’s and a 31% whiff rate; however, the positives thus far are very few and far between.
While the Pirates should remove Lawrence from high-leverage situations, they shouldn’t give up on him outright. He was dominant in an injury-shortened 2025, where he allowed just one earned run, struck out 23, and allowed eight walks in 17 2/3 innings pitched. Despite his home run problem, he definitely won’t sustain a 42.9% HR: FB ratio. For reference, Barry Bonds had a 29.6% HR: FB ratio in 2003. His overall pitch quality has gotten better since 2025. Lawrence’s FanGraphs Stuff+ sat at 103 last year and is now up to 107.
Instead of Lawrence, Mason Montgomery, and Yohan Ramirez should take his role. Montgomery hasn’t been lights out, but has pitched well recently. He also has an impressive 112 Stuff+ so far, and was at 123 last year. Plus, the left-hander has a +0.21 WPA. Meanwhile, Ramirez has been unexpectedly (and extremely) dominant in 2026. His 0.90 WPA is the best among all Pirates pitchers this year.
How the Bullpen Would Look After These Moves
The Pirates would still utilize Dennis Santana, Soto, and Mattson as their go-to late-inning arms. Ramirez has also stepped his game up and is another high-leverage/fireman option. Montgomery has also performed at a respectable level. Lawrence would then move to a lower leverage role until he can build himself back up. Instead of Urquidy, the Pirates can turn to one of Bidois, Harrington, or Clevinger. While these are small moves, they do improve the Bucs’ bullpen as a whole.
Main Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
