In recent years, the Pirates have developed a habit of signing veteran starters coming off a down year or two and rehabilitating them into assets—or even core members—of the pitching staff. Many of these projects have been left-handed pitchers, and many of them have been successful. The biggest success story was probably José Quintana, but Tyler Anderson and Martín Pérez also worked out for the Buccos. Because of this pattern, many predicted the Pirates would be in the market for another veteran lefty this offseason. Instead, the Bucs went in a slightly different direction, signing crafty right-hander José Urquidy.
Urquidy is still just 30 years old and has a résumé filled with legitimately solid seasons. From 2019 to 2022 with the Astros, he posted a strong 3.74 ERA and provided dependable innings at the back end of a star-studded rotation. He also has several notable postseason moments, highlighted by two scoreless outings against the Nationals in the 2019 World Series. While his overall postseason ERA sits slightly higher than his career regular-season mark, Urquidy is battle-tested and has faced some terrifying lineups on baseball’s biggest stage. Unfortunately, he has pitched only twice since 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he now looks poised to return to his reliable form on the mound.
The Pirates clearly liked Urquidy’s résumé enough to offer him a one-year major league contract; a strong show of trust that places him immediately on the big-league roster. With his former pitching coach now on the Pirates’ payroll, the pairing makes sense for both sides. While the signing flew somewhat under the radar, it could prove crucial to the Buccos’ plans for 2026. The team entered the offseason with a surplus of starting pitching, but Johan Oviedo and Mike Burrows have since been dealt for bats, leaving a staff that suddenly appeared poised to be carried almost entirely by pitchers still in the infancy of their careers, anchored by Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially given the talent of those arms, but pitching consistency is never guaranteed, and you can never have too many quality innings. Urquidy can provide exactly that, whether in a starting role or out of the bullpen, both of which would be extremely valuable for a 2026 Pirates team aiming to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
