After a season mostly spent on the injured list, pitcher Ryan Borucki is a free agent searching for a team. Borucki, a 30-year-old left-hander, is hoping for better luck in 2025 after the 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t work out as planned. He was supposed to be part of a lockdown bullpen that included David Bednar, Aroldis Chapman, Colin Holderman, and Carmen Mlodzinski. Unfortunately, the bullpen that general manager Ben Cherington envisioned never materialized. Due to injuries, the five relievers were never on the major league roster together until September 1. Besides injuries, the bullpen had other issues, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.
After making four appearances for the 2024 Pirates, Borucki went on the injured list on April 7 due to left triceps inflammation. It was a frustrating recovery period for Borucki. While on minor league rehab assignments, he was shut down in June and July. A 2024 return to the mound looked bleak, so Cherington decided to trade for Jalen Beeks at the deadline. Finally, after 15 minor league appearances covering 14 2/3 innings, Borucki rejoined the Pirates in September. With the big club, he gave up nine earned runs in 11 innings. On the bright side, he also struck out 13.
Free Agent Relief Pitcher Ryan Borucki Looking for Opportunity After Lost Year
Borucki has pitched 148 games in his seven-year career, including 21 starts. He’s 14-9 with 22 holds, a 4.23 ERA, and 1.292 WHIP. He’s never recorded a save. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Borucki out of high school in the 15th round of the 2012 June Amateur Draft. He pitched for the Blue Jays from 2018 until a midseason trade to the Seattle Mariners in 2022. Cherington was Toronto’s vice president of baseball operations from 2016-19. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was their quality control coach in 2017. Both men knew Borucki from their time together in the Jays organization. Cherington signed Borucki after the Chicago Cubs, for whom he never got to pitch, released him in May 2023.
As a Pirate in 2023, Borucki flourished. After a bad start, he quietly became one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. He was 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA and major-league-leading 0.744 WHIP, an 8.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a 184 ERA+. The better he pitched, the more responsibility Shelton gave him. After the All-Star break, Borucki found himself in the high-leverage bullpen mix.
Ch-ch-changes (There’s Gonna Have to Be a Different Man)
It was a change in his pitch usage that made the difference for Borucki in 2023. Specifically, it was increased use of the slider and decreased use of the sinker. In 2023, Borucki threw the slider 55.1 percent of the time. Opponents hit just .190 off the slider. His previous high in slider usage was 38.6 percent in 2022, even though opposing batters generally had never been successful against it. They hit .077 off the slider in 2020 and .129 in 2021. Conversely, the sinker, which, for example, he threw 58.3 percent of the time in 2021, during which time opponents hit .283 off the pitch, was used 20.3 percent of the time in 2023.
As a result of the changes, Borucki was markedly more effective against right-handed batters. They hit just .213/.224/.373 against him in 2023, as opposed to .313/.389/.688 in 2022. His 2023 performance earned the free agent Borucki a one-year, $1.6 million contract to return to the Pirates for 2024.
“I Said It!”
One can bet that Borucki is a respected figure among teammates. In 2021, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier had stolen a game-planning card that had been dropped by Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk. Kiermaier’s next plate appearance began with Borucki plunking him in the back, receiving an ejection and a two-game suspension.
In 2023, after Pirates bench coach Don Kelly was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, Borucki, who had been removed from the game, was caught by TV cameras trying to take the blame. Lip readers could see him repeating, “I said it!” with his arm raised. It didn’t fool the umpires. Nevertheless, actions like these surely play well in major league clubhouses.
The Last Word
Virtually every team in the majors needs bullpen help. Borucki will be considered second-tier to free-agent left-handed relievers such as Chapman, A.J. Minter, and Tanner Scott. Sadly for him, his 2025 contract is unlikely to be as handsome as his 2024 deal. The prediction here is that Borucki will return to the Pirates. As neither party has spoken publicly on the subject, it’s unknown whether either side has any interest. However, Borucki must be pleased with the role the Pirates had in rejuvenating his career. The Pirates, likely to lose Chapman and Beeks, will need that left-handed arm out of the bullpen. They know better than anybody (or at least they should) how well he pitched for them in 2023. Finally, don’t discount Borucki’s history with Cherington and Shelton. Wherever he pitches in 2025, it will be interesting to see how well Borucki bounces back.
Photo Credit: © John David Mercer-Imagn Images
