Buccos Cove

One of the worst position groups for the Pirates in 2020 was the bullpen. For the last item on the Pirates Christmas Wish List, the team is looking for help in the bullpen as they try to secure more wins during the 2021 season. One of the most important parts of any competitive team is the bullpen that they build. The starting pitchers can't go forever in this day and age, and when they tire they need a strong back-up to hold down the fort. For the Pirates, their bullpen was not able to hold a lead in 2020 and blew several games throughout the season. As the team gets ready for 2021, many of the same characters from last season are back in the bullpen mix. With Richard Rodriguez being the only real lock for 2021, there are six other openings for the bullpen as Derek Shelton and Been Cherrington try to get the team back on track.  There are plenty of free-agent veteran pitchers available on the open market who could come in and help lead this young group of pitchers. How...

The bullpen continued its 2020 woes last night blowing a four-run lead in the ninth before eventually falling 6-5 in the 11th. There were positives and negatives throughout the night, but the closer's role has really come into question as of late. Going into the ninth inning of their home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, it looked like the Pittsburgh Pirates all but had the win. They were leading 5-1 and had just put up a crooked number two innings ago on a Jarrod Dyson two-RBI single. However, a combination of Michael Feliz and Kyle Crick saw that lead evaporate and the game went into extra innings. The Pirates eventually fell 6-5 in 11 innings and went from possibly being a 2-2 team in a good position to a 1-3 team battling from behind. If the Pirates want to have any chance of being competitive this season, the bullpen has to step up and be more reliable late in games. The biggest concern in the Pirates bullpen right now is who is going to step up and hold down ...