Should the Pirates Take a Shot on These Two Opposite Pitchers?
The Pirates’ bullpen remains one of the murkiest parts of their roster entering the season. While the organization has done well developing young starting pitching, reliable relief options are far harder to come by—and even harder to project. That makes the current free-agent market particularly intriguing, especially with a pair of pitchers who achieve similar results in completely different ways: Michael Kopech and Scott Barlow.
One relies on pure power. The other survives on spin and deception. Both might be worth a look.
Michael Kopech: Betting on Velocity and Upside
One of the more intriguing—and less talked about—arms still on the open market is Michael Kopech. Armed with an upper-90s fastball, Kopech has flashed dominance at the big-league level, including as a key cog in Los Angeles’s 2024 title run. Unfortunately, his 2025 season was mostly lost to knee inflammation that sidelined him at both the beginning and end of the year. When he was available, though, he was excellent, posting a 2.45 ERA in 14 appearances. Still, the injury concerns have dampened his market.
Originally developed as a starter, Kopech’s future role became clearer once the White Sox realized his high-octane, low-control profile played better out of the bullpen. That transition wasn’t immediate—he did post a respectable 3.54 ERA across 25 starts in 2022—but his 2023 season likely sealed the deal. That year, he led the American League with 91 walks in just 129 innings.
Once he moved to the bullpen, however, the results followed. His BB/9 dropped nearly two full points, from 6.3 to 4.5, and his stuff began to play up even more. Since then, Kopech owns a 3.32 ERA with 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings—numbers that rival some of the top closers in the league. His fastball still averages over 97 mph, and he ranks in the 86th percentile in extension, meaning it gets on hitters even faster than the radar gun suggests.
The Pirates, meanwhile, have quietly lost some starting pitching depth this offseason following the trades of Johan Oviedo and Mike Burrows. While the organization still boasts plenty of young starting talent, the same cannot be said about the bullpen. There simply aren’t many arms the team can confidently pencil in for next year.
That’s where Kopech becomes an interesting gamble. Yes, he missed significant time last season, but the injury was not arm-related—and the raw stuff remains electric. Earlier this offseason, he was projected to command a two-year deal worth north of $13 million, but his market has since cooled. If Pittsburgh could land him on a one-year, prove-it contract, it would inject much-needed firepower into a young and unproven bullpen.
Scott Barlow: Succeeding Without the Heat
While Kopech’s stuff has only ticked up in recent years—allowing him to rely almost exclusively on his fastball—Scott Barlow is taking the opposite approach. Once a true velocity arm, Barlow has lost roughly five miles per hour on his fastball since 2021. On paper, that might suggest he has turned into a ground-ball specialist. Interestingly, that hasn’t been the case.
Instead, Barlow has reinvented himself by leaning heavily on his breaking stuff, which he now throws nearly 60% of the time. His sweeper, in particular, has become a true weapon. After using it just 10% of the time in 2023, Barlow has thrown it close to 40% of the time over the past two seasons. Last year alone, it generated a +5 run value, making it a legitimate go-to pitch.
What makes the comparison to Kopech so fascinating is that, despite their drastically different styles, the results are surprisingly similar. Barlow also struggles with control—posting 5.9 walks per nine innings—but pairs that with an impressive 9.9 strikeouts per nine. He isn’t overpowering hitters; he’s fooling them. Yet, he is still a top 1% pitcher when it comes to allowing hard contact at only 30.5%.
While Barlow isn’t quite the pitcher he was in 2021 and 2022—when he ranked among the league’s better closers for Kansas City—he could still be a valuable addition for a Pirates team in desperate need of bullpen stability. And unlike Kopech, his price tag should be far more modest, likely coming in under $5 million per year.
Two Paths, Same Goal
Kopech represents raw upside: elite velocity, swing-and-miss stuff, and the tantalizing possibility of a late-inning monster if things click. Barlow represents adaptation: a veteran who has learned how to survive as his physical tools fade, using movement and sequencing to keep hitters off balance.
For a Pirates team searching for bullpen answers, either—or both—could make sense. The question isn’t just whether Pittsburgh should take a chance. It’s what kind of bet they want to make.
