The 2014 regular season is far from over for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as they are on the cusp of another playoff spot.
Still, it may not be too early to start thinking about what this team could look like next season.
Following the end of this season, starting pitchers Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez will become free agents, and it is unclear whether the organization has any intention to re-sign either player.
After having a career year in which he finished 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA last season with Pittsburgh, Liriano has not fared well in 2014, going 3-10 with a 3.91 ERA.
Meanwhile, Volquez has revitalized his career in 2014, going 10-7 with a 3.31 ERA in 27 starts with the team.
The Pirates are a young team, and they have been since 2007 when Neal Huntington became the 12th general manager in the organization’s history.
Unfortunately for these two men, that may not bode well, as Liriano will turn 31 this October while Volquez will turn 32 next July.
Both players are at the point in their careers where they will likely be seeking multi-year deals. However, the Pirates organization isn’t likely to give that to both of them.
Pittsburgh currently has a nice arsenal of young, quality starting pitchers who have shown the ability to pitch deep into games.
Let’s take a look at this projected starting rotation for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.
1. Gerrit Cole
There was a lot of buzz around the league last June when starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was called up to pitch for the Pirates.
That season, he did not disappoint, going 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA and helping the Pirates get back to the playoffs for the first time since 1992.
This season, Cole has been hampered by injuries, but he has still managed to go 7-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 17 starts.
Cole has all the makings of a future ace, and it is likely that he will be named the ace of the staff in 2015.
2. Edinson Volquez
After watching Volquez bounce back so far in 2014 and become arguably the best starting pitcher for the Pirates this year, it would only make sense for Pittsburgh to try to bring him back for another year.
Through 27 starts this season, Volquez owns an 11-7 record with a 3.31 ERA. He has been a driving force in a rotation full of pitchers who have struggled at times.
Volquez will turn 32 next July, which means he will probably be looking for a multi-year deal as he moves forward in his career.
Huntington should offer Volquez a two-year contract and see where they can go in talks from there. If Volquez is anywhere near as stellar in 2015 as he has been in 2014, the Pirates will have a reliable No. 2 starter in their rotation.
3. Brandon McCarthy
The Pirates are going to need to go out and sign a reliable starting pitcher during the offseason, and Brandon McCarthy could be a perfect fit for Pittsburgh.
After a rocky start to the 2014 season while pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, McCarthy has really found his groove with the New York Yankees, going 5-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 10 starts with the team.
He has also shown the ability to pitch deep into games, throwing at least 6.0 innings pitched in nine of his first ten starts with New York.
McCarthy’s best season came in 2012, when he posted an 8-6 record with a 3.24 ERA while pitching for the Oakland Athletics.
At 31 years of age, McCarthy is probably as hungry as anyone to get back to the postseason, and he could possibly help the Pirates make it back to October in 2015.
4. Vance Worley
Since being called up from the minors, Vance Worley has been stellar for the Pirates, going 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 14 starts.
He has never made more than 23 starts in a single season at this level, but the 26-year-old veteran is making his case for a permanent rotation spot in 2015.
The Pirates need pitchers who can last late into games, and Worley is one of them.
Pittsburgh has one of the best set-up man/closer combinations in the league with Tony Watson and Mark Melancon. Having starting pitchers who can pitch deep into games will make it that much harder for opponents to beat Pittsburgh when the bullpen is called on to do its job.
5. Charlie Morton/Jeff Locke
Charlie Morton pitched well in 2013 for the Pirates, starting 20 games and going 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA.
However, Morton is another example of a starting pitcher who has not fared as well for Pittsburgh in 2014, going 5-12 but posting a respectable ERA of 3.84.
Morton does not allow too many hits, but his 55 walks in 2014 is something that he will have to bring down in 2015.
He will likely finish somewhere around his career-high in innings pitched, which was 171.2 back in 2010 (Morton is currently at 152.1 this season).
Morton will likely compete with teammate Jeff Locke for the fifth and final rotation spot entering the 2015 regular season.
Locke finished 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA in 2013 for the Pirates. Still, at times he has looked just as shaky as Morton has.
Locke was 8-2 with a 2.15 ERA at the All-Star break in 2013. After that, he went 2-5 with a 6.12 ERA.
In 17 games pitched in 2014, he has gone 6-4 with a 3.75 ERA. After allowing just three earned runs combined in his previous three starts, Locke was pounded for four earned runs in just three innings pitched in his last start.
Both of these guys have shown potential to pitch well every five days, but neither has made a definite case for a rotation spot in 2015.
Expect Morton and Locke to battle for the final rotation spot during spring training in 2015.
While the Pirates are looking to reach the postseason for the second straight year, the organization must also keep in mind what this team will look like next season.
As they plan for the future, the Pirates will have a lot of decisions to make following this season.
If they can shape their rotation in this manner, however, Pittsburgh should be set up for at least a few more years of success.
*Statistics Courtesy of Baseball-Reference
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