Ranking Pirates Arbitration-Eligible Players for 2027
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have big arbitration decisions this offseason and how they approach it will impact other moves.
The Pirates have 10 arbitration-eligible players, including two players in their second year, center fielder Onel Cruz and right-handed relief pitcher Yohan Ramirez, and then eight first-year eligible players.
Pittsburgh's first-year eligible players include three right-handed pitchers, starters Jared Jones and Paul Skenes and reliever Carmen Mlodzinski, two catchers, Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez, and three infielders, Nick Gonzales, Spencer Horwitz and Jared Triolo.
The Pirates will most likely tender all of these players a new contract for 2027, but their importance varies.
There are three different tiers for the Pirates' arbitration players: players that they must tender, players that they'll keep around and players that must show going forward.
Pirates Arbitration Players They Must Sign
RHP Paul Skenes [$7.2 Million]
RHP Jared Jones [$2.1 Million]
CF Oneil Cruz [$6.3 Million]
The Pirates have three undisputed players that they must tender contracts to: Skenes, Jones and also Cruz.
Skenes didn't have the season he envisioned, posting a 3.82 ERA following his two sub-2.00 ERA seasons, but was still one of the better pitchers in baseball.
He was one of 11 pitchers who posted 200 strikeouts and was top 20 with a 1.12 WHIP and a .227 BAA.
Skenes' $7.2 million projected salary is close to the $7.25 million that Dallas Kuechel set a record for in his first year of arbitration, which makes sense after his Rookie of the Year and Cy Young campaigns in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Jones will make considerably less money than Skenes, a little more than $2 million projected, after missing all of 2025 due to internal brace surgery.
The Pirates got Jones back in late May, and despite some struggles, he won National League Pitcher of the Month honors for September, showing how good he can be heading into 2027.
Cruz also missed two months with an injury, a fractured left hand, which knocked him out for 61 games from mid-June to mid-August.
He still was a part of the 20-30 club (20 home runs and 30 stolen bases), was excellent coming back from injury, and fixed his issues against left-handed pitching, making him one of the Pirates' best players for next season.
The $6.3 million projection is three million more than last season, but Cruz showed he can be that player the Pirates need to push for the postseason when healthy.
Pirates Arbitration Players They'll Keep Around
RHP Carmen Mlodzinski [$1.6 Million]
RHP Yohan Ramírez [$1.5 Million]
2B/3B Nick Gonzales [$3.1 Million]
1B Spencer Horwitz [$2.5 Million]
The Pirates have four players who aren't the best on the team, but are players who will play important roles and done well in recent years.
Mlodzinski was in the Pirates rotation the past two years, struggling in 2025 and having more success in 2026, before Jones took over following his return from injury this season.
He was much better out of the bullpen and has thrived as a reliever, which he'll occupy next season and beyond, but only if he truly accepts that role.
Ramírez was excellent for the Pirates last season and had his best year in the major leagues.
He posted a 7-4 record in 66 outings, a 2.86 ERA over 85 innings, 102 strikeouts to 44 walks, a .188 and a 1.19 WHIP.
Ramírez thrived in different roles for the Pirates and established himself as a key part of the bullpen in 2026.
Gonzales had his best season at the plate, batting .303/.367/.388 for an OPS of .755, finishing sixth-best in batting average in baseball.
He was also the worst defensive third baseman in MLB, and his defensive future is something the Pirates still don't know yet.
Horwitz was fantastic to start 2026, hitting .280/.386/.455 for an OPS of .841 with 10 home runs, 40 walks to 40 strikeouts.
A hamstring injury and a concussion on his rehab assignment set him back and when he returned in early August after missing 32 games, he batted .180/.263/.201 for an OPS of .464 the rest of the way, one of the worst hitters in that time frame.
Horwitz should man first base again, but the Pirates really need him to get back to hitting the way he was the first three months of 2026.
Pirates Arbitration Players That Must Show More Going Forward
C Henry Davis [$1.4 Million]
C Endy Rodríguez [$1.2 Million]
UTL Jared Triolo [$1.8 Million]
The Pirates have three players who have had success, but also need to prove they deserve to stay on this future and not become a non-tender candidate after 2027.
Davis was great behind the plate once again for the Pirates, ranking sixth amongst catchers (with at least 700 innings played) with +8 defensive runs saved and an 11.4 Def (fielding runs above average).
He was also poor at the plate, hitting .172/.272/.313 for an OPS of .585, and must get better to justify the Pirates keeping him on.
Rodríguez, unlike Davis, was great at hitting in 2026, batting .267/.373/.467 for an OPS of .840, the best campaign in his career.
His issue is staying healthy, and he missed 15 games in July with a left glute strain and then had his season end early, undergoing surgery on his left hip labrum, not resuming baseball activities until March-May 2027.
Rodríguez has played only 63 games combined across the last three seasons, and if he can't stay healthy, the Pirates may have a tough decision coming later.
Triolo does everything the Pirates need defensively, playing all four infield positions and excelling in that utility role.
His defense is good enough to put him in the previous tier, but his hitting was a bit disappointing this season, batting .238/.307/.302 for an OPS of .609.
Triolo won't ever be a top hitter, but a .700 OPS shouldn't be too outrageous of a goal for someone who can hit for power, as he did in 2026.
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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.