Pirates Predicted To Turn Down Veteran’s Option After Injury-Riddled Campaign

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have some tough decisions to make this winter.

Pittsburgh isn’t far away from making a run for the playoffs. It seemed like the Pirates could be back in the postseason for much of the summer. The second half of the season didn’t go as planned, and now Pittsburgh is on the outside looking in. There is a lot of excitement in Pittsburgh, though.

The Pirates should take another step forward in 2025 and have plenty of exciting pieces to build around. Pittsburgh could end up parting ways with some players this winter, though. There are a lot of decisions to be made with Pittsburgh having a few club options for the 2025 campaign.

One player who has a club option in their contract for the 2025 season is veteran pitcher Marco Gonzales. He joined the Pirates ahead of the 2024 campaign but he only has been able to make seven starts this season due to flexor injury.

It’s too early to know what the Pirates will do. But MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams predicted that the Pirates will turn the option down this winter.

“Marco Gonzales, (left-handed pitcher), Pirates: $15MM club option,” Adams said. “Gonzales began the season with three nice starts for the Pirates before enduring a three-month absence due to a flexor injury. He pitched well in his mid-July return, then struggled through three starts before landing back on the shelf and eventually undergoing flexor surgery that’ll keep him out for a significant portion of next season. This would be a no-brainer to decline even if there were a buyout of some magnitude, but there isn’t one, so it’s a foregone conclusion that this will be declined.”

Gonzales is a 10-year big league veteran and certainly will have another opportunity in 2025. After missing much of the season, $15 million would be a steep price. A reunion could end up making sense in free agency, just at a lower price.

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