Donnie Football

The rotation will then be rounded out by Braxton Ashcraft and Jose Urquidy, who was signed a couple of weeks ago, the veteran righty.

Ashcraft, he showed promise in a hybrid role last season.

He made the Mike Burrows move possible.

Think about the domino effect that could have had

maybe it still doesn't stop them from going out and getting Brandon Lau or being as aggressive in that pursuit.

But if they didn't have two pitchers that really did the same thing, Ashcraft and Burroughs, that showed, hey, they can be useful starters that can go five or six, or they can be guys that piggyback, or they can be dudes that just come in for an inning or two out of the bullpen.

If Ashcraft didn't show that ability,

Maybe Burroughs doesn't get moved.

Maybe that trade never happens.

It's fair to think about something like that.

He's someone that can carry his own weight in the back end of the rotation.

Urquidy has only thrown two innings in the majors since 2023.

And in that season, he was limited to 63 of them in Houston.

Another note on Urquidy is that he's right-handed.

In fact, every single projected starting pitcher for the Pirates throws from the right side.

And Jared Jones will be returning middle of the season at some point.

He brings it from the same way.

Not that it's impossible to go through a season like that, but it is difficult to not have a lefty of any sort in the mix to change the pace a little bit.

I had this talk recently because Ben Charrington has always found a way to work a left-handed pitcher into the rotation.

If there's been any free agent move that he's been willing to make, it has been that.