Pirates Veteran Kirby Yates Facing Tough Decision After 2026
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will make some difficult roster decisions this offseason, but the players must make choices for their future as well.
Right-handed relief pitcher Kirby Yates is out of contract at the end of the season, and at 39, with his 12th season coming to a close, he is thinking about what he'll do next with his career.
Yates will turn 40 on Opening Day 2027, and he could come back for a 13th season or end his career and move on to the next stage of his life.
“We’ll see," Yates said on his future to Pittsburgh Pirates On SI. "I’ll take some time, and I think, I think I know I’m close to the end. I’m savoring every moment. Very appreciative of what I’ve done and where it is right now.”
Pirates Subverting Yates' Preconceptions
The Pirates landed Yates on the Aug. 3 trade deadline from the Los Angeles Angels, giving them a reliable, veteran bullpen arm that would help push for the postseason.
Pittsburgh struggled too much in August before they started winning again and were eliminated from the postseason, but Yates enjoyed his time with his new team.
Going from an Angels team that has the second-worst record in baseball to a Pirates team that stayed in the National League Wild Card hunt and just avoided a losing season is a bit of a change for Yates.
Yates pitched well for the Pirates, posting a 2.03 ERA over 14 outings and 13.1 innings pitched, with 12 strikeouts to five walks, and showed his worth when on the mound.
He was also pleasantly surprised by how different things are with the Pirates, compared to what those outside the organization say.
“No, it’s been good," Yates said about his time with the Pirates. "When I first got, whatever, traded over, it kind of gave me, kind of like, a new life in baseball, kind of like, I guess, got me excited to play a little bit and it’s been good.
"The organization - I don’t want this to sound bad the way I say it, but it’s been better than what I expected, let’s put it that way. Everything, they’re doing things pretty well around here. They treat you good, the facilities are nice, they gave us a chance to win, let’s put it that way.”
Yates Sees Promise in Pirates for 2027
The Pirates didn't make the playoffs this year, but they strongly believe they can build upon this for next season.
Pittsburgh has a strong rotation in Braxton Aschraft, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Paul Skenes, plus a bullpen featuring shutdown closer Mason Montgomery, set-up man Luke Weaver and middle relievers in Carmen Mlodzinski and Yohan Ramírez.
The Pirates also bring back a strong lineup, when fully healthy, with the likes of center fielder Oneil Cruz, left fielder Bryan Reynolds, shortstop Konnor Griffin, first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and others.
Yates is confident in what the Pirates can do going forward, and he had a great experience with the team, particularly with Chandler, Jones and Skenes giving him grief for being the eldest in the clubhouse.
“Yeah, I think they’re in a really good spot right now," Yates said. "The hard part of it is once this ends, you have to plan for next year. Try and find pieces to help and do all of that and there’s going to be a different set of expectations for this team.
"Not just based in-house, but probably the outside world too is probably going to view them a lot differently than they did this year; you’re going to have to deal with that. I think overall, in a really good spot and should be a very, very exciting year for them next year.”
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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.