Yesterday, I wrote about how the Pittsburgh Pirates have improved their depth at the Major League level this offseason.
Last year’s team saw a lot of depth options trying out as starters. This year, they’ve added legit starters, albeit none of them have more than average starter upside. The stability those starters provide moves the depth players down into their proper roles.
The Pirates aren’t counting on Zach Thompson to be a starting pitcher, and they’re not desperate for first base prospect Malcom Nunez to arrive. A year ago, they were counting on Thompson as one of the five MLB starters, and Mason Martin was the hope at first base.