3 Pittsburgh Pirates Who Won't Be Back Next Season

It seemed like it was going to be a nice step forward for the young Pittsburgh Pirates club in 2024, as they woke up on August 1st tied for second place in the NL Central Division, at .500 and right in the thick of the Wild Card chase.

But it was a familiar finish to the season, as the Pirates went ten games under .500 from there on out, and finished in last place in the division, with the same record, 76-86, as the year before.

Changes will be coming this offseason, as the rebuilding team figures out its next steps.

These 3 Players won't be around in 2025 for the next phase of Pirates baseball:

Aroldis Chapman

At a $10 million salary, Chapman was actually the highest-paid Pirate this season. Yes, he had a fine year at that price, but the Pirates likely wouldn't be able to afford to bring him back. And as noted by Emma Lingen of RumBunter, at the age of 36, he'll likely look to find himself a chance at another World Series run, which the Bucos will not be able to provide him.

Marco Gonzales

With a starting rotation in 2025 featuring Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones and Bailey Falter, there's absolutely no chance on earth that the Pirates pick up their $15 million team option on Gonzales. The veteran made only seven starts for them around a series of injuries, and his 4.54 ERA and 1.60 WHIP didn't win anybody over in the front office. Going into his age-33 season, he'll have to find a new MLB home next season.

Yasmani Grandal

A free agent this winter, here's another veteran that the Bucos will bid adieu to. At the age of 35, he isn't the hitter he once was, and settled for a 95 OPS+ this season with a .228 average. Former top catching prospect Joey Bart is the future of the Pittsburgh backstop corps, and Endy Rodriguez, another youngster with promise, is expected to return and join Bart in 2025.