Mike Burrows Pens Goodbye to Pirates After Trade

PITTSBURGH — Mike Burrows saw his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates come to an end last weekend, ending a long, but the first stop in his professional baseball career.

The Pirates traded Burrows to the Houston Astros as part of a three-team trade, which involved the Tampa Bay Rays, on Dec. 19. The Pirates added second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery from the Rays, while the Astros sent two top prospects to the Rays.

Pittsburgh added Lowe, who hit 31 home runs last season, and two players in Mangum and Montgomery that addresses needs on their roster, but do give up a young, promising player like Burrows.

The Pirates also traded away Johan Oviedo for a top 100 prospect in outfielder Jhostyxnon García, as they add bats to a team that struggled hitting in 2025, even if it meant parting with quality pitching.

Burrows Says Goodbye to Pirates

The Pirates took Burrows in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft and Burrows would forgo his commitment to UConn, deciding on a $500,000 signing bonus instead.

Burrows took longer than anticipated for his MLB debut, with a lost season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Tommy John surgery, but he would finally do so in 2024 and then spent most 0f 2025 with the team.

The trade ended almost eight years that Burrows spent from high school up until recently entirely with the Pirates as a baseball player.

Burrows made a goodbye post to the Pirates and the fans on his Instagram recently, remebering his time with the franchise.

"Pittsburgh gave me an opportunity I’ll always be thankful for — taking a chance on a kid from Connecticut back in 2018, "Burrows wrote.

"From the first day in the organization to the relationships built and memories made, I’m grateful for every coach, teammate, staff member, and fan who supported and believed in me along the way.

"God bless

"Thank you Pittsburgh"

Burrows Breakout 2025 Season

Burrows joined the Pirates in late May and served as a member of the starting rotation for the majority of the final four months of the season.

He had a 2-4 record in 19 starts over 23 appearances with the Pirates in 2025 as a rookie, with a 3.94 ERA over 96.0 innings pitched 97 strikeouts to 31 walks, a .243 batting average allowed and a 1.24 WHIP.

Burrows excelled with his changeup in 2025, earning a 43.1% whiff rate on it and keeping his batting average allowed (BAA) to .147, the lowest of his pitches.

He also used the pitch to great effect against left-handed batters, at a 34.5% usage rate, compared to a 13.5% usage rate against right-handed batters.

Burrows also had success with his slider, throwing it mostly to right-handed batters at a 31.0% usage rate, compared to 7.2% against lefties.

He held opposing hitters to a .203 batting average against his slider and also produced a 26.8% whiff rate.

Burrows had a +9 offspeed run value, which Baseball Savant ranks as "Great" and in the 97th percentile.

He struggled with his fastball in 2025, as batters had a .326 hitting percentage and a .529 slugging percentage.

His curveball, which was one of his best pitchers in the minor leagues, also wasn't effective with the Pirates, with a .318 BAA and a .500 slugging percentage.

If Burrows improves upon his fastball and curveball, then he'll have an elite arsenal of pitches, making him a dangerous threat every time he steps onto the mound for the Astros.

Burrows' History with the Pirates

The Pirates took Burrows in the 2018 MLB Draft and he ended pitching in the minor leagues for them towards the end of the season.

Burrows started three of the four games he played in 2018 for the Gulf Coast League Pirates, with a 0.00 ERA in 14.0 innings pitched, nine strikeouts to four walks and an opposing batting average of .133.

He would pitch the entire 2019 season with the West Virginia Black Bears in the Low-A New York-Penn League. He started all 11 games he pitched in, with a 2-3 record, a 4.33 ERA over 43.2 innings pitched, 43 strikeouts to 20 walks an opposing batting average of .262.

Burrows didn't pitch in 2020, as the MLB shut down the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He would pitch for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in 2021, starting 13 games with a 2-2 record, a 2.20 ERA in 49.0 innings pitched, 66 strikeouts to 20 walks and an opposing batting average of .143.

He would start 2022 with Double-A Altoona, where he went 2-2 in 12 starts, posted a 2.94 ERA over 52.0 innings pitched, 69 strikeouts to 19 walks and an opposing batting average of .199.

Burrows earned a promotion to Indianapolis on June 16 and he would pitch in 12 games, starting 10 of them the rest of the season. He finished with a 1-4 record, a 5.31 ERA over 42.1 innings pitched and a .271 opposing batting average.

He would make two starts for Indianapolis in 2023, before injuring his ulnar collateral ligament. He would undergo Tommy John surgery on April 26, ending his season.

Burrows returned in 2024, but waited until June, beginning with a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Pirates and then went up to the Single-A Bradenton Marauders.

He would make his season debut for Indianapolis on July 25 and started nine of 10 games. He finished with a 1-1 record, a 4.06 ERA over 37.2 innings pitched, 45 strikeouts to 15 walks and an opposing batting average of .253.

Pittsburgh called up Burrows on Sept. 28, 2024 and he pitched against the New York Yankees. He allowed two hits, three walks, a home run, two earned runs and posted two strikeouts over 3.1 innings in the 9-4 win in his MLB debut.

They also called Burrows up earlier in 2025 back on April 24 and had him available to pitch out of the bullpen, following an injury to right-handed pitcher Justin Lawrence.

The Pirates then sent Burrows back to Indianapolis on April 26, as they ended right-handed pitcher Colin Holderman's rehab assignment.

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