There is one clear and present need on the Pittsburgh Pirates' roster: bullpen help. Unfortunately, any significant trade won't materialize until July at the earliest. The market is simply non-existent right now, and that's very bad news for the Pirates. Since the start of May, Pirates relievers own a 4.99 ERA, 4.63 FIP, and 1.39 WHIP. They've walked 11.6% of batters faced with a 1.10 HR/9 ratio. A 4.47 xFIP and 4.00 SIERA suggest that even with some bad luck at play, they've still been a bottom ten unit for nearly a month and a half.
However, that doesn't mean the Pirates can't or shouldn't make any moves. There are still some minor trades they could make to improve the bullpen, whether that means making waiver claims, signing minor league free agents (like the recent Yunior Marte signing), or acquiring depth relievers, similar to what the Seattle Mariners and Pirates did with Carson Fulmer. If there is one Triple-A reliever out there the Pirates should ask about, it should be Wikelman Gonzalez from the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox originally acquired Gonzalez as one of the many prospects they received in the Garrett Crochet blockbuster deal before the 2025 season. The right-hander made a solid first impression in '25, pitching to a 2.66 ERA, 3.01 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP over his first 20.1 Major League innings. The right-hander induced plenty of whiffs and K's. His whiff rate clocked in at an impressive 32.3% mark, and he K'd 28.7% of opponents. Although he carried a solid 6% barrel rate, his opponent's exit velocity came in at 91.3 MPH. He also walked 13.8% of opponents.
Gonzalez's stuff looked solid. He sat around 95 MPH with above-average horizontal movement with his fastball, albeit with about average induced vertical break at 14.3 inches. His upper-70s slurve, upper-80s change-up, and mid-80s slider each induced a whiff rate over 40%. On top of that, Gonzalez's stuff plays up because of his 84th percentile extension and 27-degree arm angle.
Despite Gonzalez's promising look in MLB last year, the White Sox opted to start him at Triple-A to open 2026. He got off to a strong start, allowing just four earned runs, getting 34.5% of batters down on strikes, and only walking 8.6% of opponents over his first 14 innings of work. Gonzalez also induced a ground ball on 51.4% of batted balls. Unfortunately, that is the extent of his workload this year. The White Sox placed him on the minor league IL in late April with a lat strain.
However, optioning Gonzalez certainly makes a point about how the White Sox view him. Their bullpen did not enter the year particularly deep, and Gonzalez was good for them last year. Since there is not much on the trade market right now, the Pirates can do to improve the bullpen, Gonzalez should be a reliever they look into right now.
