The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen has seen its fair share of problems so far in 2026. The team is struggling to find consistency, even from relievers who regularly turned in solid results last year, like Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana. While Mason Montgomery, Evan Sisk, and Brandan Bidois have stepped up, they’re still far from reliable. Unfortunately, the Pirates do not have many options on the trade market. Teams are not selling off relievers just yet. That means if the Pirates want to make a trade, they’re going to have to get creative and make a trade for a pitcher who is deep on another team’s depth chart or a higher-upside arm they can move to the bullpen. They are capable of finding their next Ryan Borucki or Dennis Santana.
Drew Sommers
Drew Sommers is a left-handed relief prospect in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system. The 6’3”, 250-pound Southpaw has pitched very well since reaching the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate last season. His last 56.2 innings at the highest level of the minor leagues yielded a 3.49 ERA, 3.10 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP. Sommers has had no problems getting batters to strike out, with a 32.1% K% and a 31.9% whiff rate. He rarely allows hard contact either, with an 84.9 MPH exit velocity and 4% barrel rate. His 12% walk rate may not look great, but it is roughly league-average in the International League.
Sommers has the stuff to become a solid Major League reliever. His average four-seam fastball velocity comes in around 93-94 MPH, but plays up because of his 7.2 feet of extension off the mound and 14-degree arm angle. His two-seam sinker comes in with over 17 inches of armside run. Sommers’ low-80 slider has plenty of movement as well. Sommers is on the Tigers’ 40-man roster and appeared in three contests last year. Although he struggled overall, it was a small sample size, and Sommer has certainly shown potential.
Yerry De Los Santos
The Pirates are more than familiar with Yerry De Los Santos. An international signee by the Pirates in 2014, the right-hander became a notable relief prospect in the Pirates’ system in the late-2010s and early-2020s. However, constant injuries derailed his time with the Pirates. After letting him go after the 2023 season, De Los Santos signed with the New York Yankees. He pitched a career-high 35.2 innings last year in the Major Leagues, posting a 3.28 ERA, 3.44 FIP, and 1.51 WHIP. While his 17.5% K% and 10.7% BB% do not jump off the page, both his 55.4% ground ball rate and 5.3% barrel rate do.
De Los Santos still throws hard from a three-quarters arm slot. He primarily uses a sinker that runs 95-96 MPH. His go-to secondary pitch is an upper-80s change-up with above-average movement. The right-hander will also mix in a mid-90s four-seam fastball and a mid-80s slider. De Los Santos has only pitched 5.1 innings in the Major Leagues this year, but has performed well at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
Carson Palmquist
Carson Palmquist is one of the more high-potential arms the Pirates should trade for. He is ranked as a top 30 prospect in the Rockies’ system, both by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. The left-hander has also pitched in some very unfair environments. He pitched 34.1 innings in the Major Leagues last year, producing an 8.91 ERA, 15.4% K%, and 14.4% BB%. However, like most Rockies’ pitchers, Palmquist struggled to get a feel for his stuff because of the thin atmosphere affecting his pitches’ movement. He is also putting up a 6.95 ERA, 20.9% K%, and 15.5% BB% through 22.1 innings at Triple-A. But he is pitching in an extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, where the average ERA is nearly 5.50. He put up a better 4.64 ERA with a much better 27.8% K% and 12.4% BB% in the same league last year.
Like Sommers, Palquist's elite extension and low arm slot make his ordinary velocity play up. His four-seamer sits just 90-91 MPH, but comes in with about 7.4 feet of extension. His mid-70s sweeper was his best pitch last year, inducing just a .195 xwOBA and 33.5% whiff rate. He rounds out his pitch mix with a low-80s cutter and change-up. Palmquist has primarily pitched as a starter, but his stuff could play up in shorter outings from the bullpen. He’d also benefit a ton from getting out from under Coors Field and the Rockies.
Dylan Ross
Dylan Ross is about as talented a relief prospect as can be. The New York Mets minor league hurler has only pitched 8.2 innings this year, and was lights-out dominant last year. The right-hander pitched to a 2.17 ERA, 3.32 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP over 54 innings of work. Ross got plenty of K’s, with a 35.7% K%. He also had a 0.67 HR/9 ratio and a 54.8% ground-ball percentage. However, control is regularly an issue for Ross, with a 14.7% BB% last year.
His control questions come with the benefit of elite stuff. Ross sits in the upper-90s and tops out in the triple-digits. His above-average extension makes his already top-shelf velocity play up even more. His best secondary pitch is an upper-80s splitter with less than 1000 RPM of spin. Ross’ upper-80s slider is an above-average pitch that he uses effectively against right-handed batters. He’ll occasionally mix in a curveball, but it’s not a reliable offering. However, two offerings that are plus at the very least, and an above-average breaking pitch, are a good arsenal for a relief prospect. Ross is also on the Mets’ 40-man roster.
Wikelman Gonzalez
Wikelman Gonzalez pitched well in a small sample size out of the Chicago White Sox’s bullpen last year. In 20.1 innings, the right-hander owned a 2.66 ERA, 3.09 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP. While Gonzalez was prone to walks with a 13.8% BB%, he also struck out 28.7% of opponents with a 32.3% whiff rate. He also allowed only one home run despite a 6% barrel rate. Gonzalez has yet to pitch in MLB this year, but has a 2.57 ERA, 34.5% K%, and 8.6% BB% over his first 14 innings at Triple-A.
Gonzalez’s mid-90s fastball has above-average arm-side run, and its velocity plays up because of his 84th percentile extension. His fastball was the only pitch with a sub-40% whiff rate. Gonzalez’s upper-70s slurve 44.8% whiff percentage, and his upper-80s change-up induced a whiff on 47.8% of swings. Even though his slider was his least-used pitch, he allowed just a single hit with a 44.8% whiff percentage.
