Five Arbitration-Eligible Players the Pirates Should Sign
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have players that are up for arbitration this offseason and must make difficult decisions over the next few months on how they address it.
Salary arbitration is for players who have no less than three years and no more than six years of service time at the MLB level. The only exception are "super two" players, who have less then three years, but more than two years of service time and meet certain criteria.
Players and their respective ballclub negotiate their salary for the following season and if the two parties can't come to an agreement by the deadline, generally around mid-January, they each present their salary to a panel, who listens to the arguments and makes a decision for the player or the ballclub.
Teams can also non-tender players up for arbitration, where they don't give a player a contract, making them a free agent.
The Pirates have nine players up for arbitration this offseason, including five that they should bring back for 2026.
Five Players Up for Arbitration that the Pirates Should Keep
1. Oneil Cruz: (3.110): $3.6MM (Projected Salary)
Oneil Cruz served as the Pirates center fielder this season and had both great moments, but also many frustrating moments overall.
He hit a team-high 20 home runs and made a career-high 38 steals, tied for the National League lead with New York , giving him a 20-30 season, one of just four Pirates players to do that.
Cruz also excellced in the Home Run Derby, setting the franchise record for home runs hit and becoming the first Pirates player to make it out of the first round.
He also hit poorly throughout 2025, slashing .200/.298/.378 for an OPS of .676, with 94 hits in 478 at-bat and 64 walks to 174 strikeouts.
Cruz had lowest batting average of any qualified batter, and his on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS all ranked in the bottom 25 in the MLB, while his strikeouts were the fourth most in a season in Pirates history.
The Pirates need Cruz to improve next season overall, but he's shown he has the potential and the athleticism of a great baseball player, he just needs to show consistency.
It's highly likely Cruz returns next season anyways, but the Pirates still need his home runs, after having the worst slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655) of any MLB team.
2. RHP Dennis Santana (5.126): $3.4MM (Projected Salary)
The Pirates had a strong bullpen throughout 2025, which combined with superb starting pitching for 19 shutouts, the most in baseball, with right-handed relief pitcher Dennis Santana a big part of that.
Santana posted a 4-5 record in 70 appearances, a 2.18 ERA over 70.1 innings pitched, 13 holds, 16 saves in 19 opportunities, 60 strikeouts to 17 walks, a .179 opposing batting average and a 0.87 WHIP.
He also had a 1.36 ERA by the end of July, before becoming the full-time closer, after the Pirates traded David Bednar to the New York Yankees on deadline day, July 31.
Santana did have a 3.75 ERA over the last two months, but five of those runs came in the 17-16 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Aug. 1. He had a 1.90 ERA over his final 23 outings, with 21 strikeouts.
The Pirates will need Santana as an important part of their bullpen heading into a crucial 2026 season, where they hope to make the postseason.
3. RHP Johan Oviedo (4.078): $2MM (Projected Salary)
Right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery and then most of 2025 recovering from a lat injury suffered during Spring Training, before finally making his return in August.
Oviedo made one start vs. the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 4, before lasting just one inning, heading back to Triple-A Indianapolis for two weeks, then holding a spot in the rotation from Aug. 20 onwards.
He finished with a 2-1 record over nine starts, a 3.57 ERA over 40.1 innings pitched, 42 strikeouts to 23 walks, a .182 opposing batting average and a 1.21 WHIP.
Oviedo is definitely a player the Pirates should work on returning, even with their plethora of young pitching talent in the organization.
He is the second-most senior starting pitcher, behind right-hander Mitch Keller, who made his debut in 2019, one year ahead of Oviedo.
All-Star Paul Skenes just finished his second season, while rookies in Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco Mike Burrows and Bubba Chandler were all rookies and adjusted to their first MLB season.
Oviedo brings a veteran presence, and if the Pirates trade Keller, then they'll need him in the starting rotation next season.
4. RHP Justin Lawrence (3.167): $1.2MM (Projected Salary)
Justin Lawrence missed almost five monhts of the season with right elbow inflammation, but was incredibly effective when he was on the mound.
He had a 1-0 record in 17 outings, a 0.51 ERA over 17.2 innings pitched, 23 strikeouts to eight walks, a .153 opposing batting average and a 0.96 WHIP.
Lawrence is only in his first year of arbitration and the Pirates would do well by bringing back a pitcher that throws a sensational sweeper (.086 opposing batting average) and has a chance to show his full potential over an entire season.
5. RHP Dauri Moreta (3.056): $800K (Projected Salary)
Much like Oviedo, right-handed relief pitcher Dauri Moreta has missed most of the past two seasons with injury.
Moreta missed all of the 2024 season, after suffering a ligament injury in his right elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery.
He came back in August, like Oviedo, and had two stints with the Pirates, finishing his 2025 season with a 1-1 record in 18 appearances, a 3.24 ERA over 16.2 innings pitched, 19 strikeouts to seven walks, a .267 opposing batting average and a 1.38 WHIP.
Moreta is a fan favorite, with his money celebration after coming off a successful outing making him a beloved character on a Pirates team that's struggled on the field for a decade.
His last full season came in 2023, posting a 5-2 record in 55 games, a 3.72 ERA over 58.0 innings pitched, 76 strikeouts to 24 walks an an opposing batting average of .187.
Moreta is a cheaper option for the Pirates for their bullpen and he has performed well enough to have a full-time spot ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.