"Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, and Mitch Keller are the locks. Braxton Ashcraft has a decent claim to the No. 4 spot. The young righty initially worked as a multi-inning reliever before transitioning to a starting role. Ashcraft either started or piggybacked with another starter in his final nine appearances. He allowed two earned runs or fewer in all but one outing in that stretch."
"Jared Jones would be the obvious choice to round out the group if he were healthy, but the right-hander underwent UCL surgery in May. He expressed optimism about his progression at PiratesFest this week. Jones told reporters, including Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he's worked up to two bullpens a week and has been mixing in offspeed pitches."
The Pirates prioritized adding hitters during the offseason, trading pitchers Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo to acquire Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, and Jhostynxon Garcia. The moves created uncertainty at the back of the starting rotation after the club already projects Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, and Mitch Keller as the top three. Braxton Ashcraft has transitioned from multi-inning relief to a starting role and profiles as a No. 4 candidate after solid late-season outings. Jared Jones underwent UCL surgery in May, has progressed to two bullpen sessions weekly while mixing offspeed pitches, but likely won't be ready by Opening Day.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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