The Pittsburgh Pirates lacked a left-handed starter in 2026, as they have in most years. Mason Montgomery was the only southpaw who made a start, but he was only used as an opener. Most of the Pirates' rotation is already filled, with Paul Skenes , Jared Jones , Braxton Ashcraft , and Bubba Chandler leading the way. Mitch Keller's status for 2027 could be up in the air, especially if the Pirates look to move his contract this winter . If the Bucs look to round out the back end of their rotation with a lefty starter, Patrick Sandoval is a prime rebound candidate .
Aug 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval (43) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
At first glance, Sandoval's 2026 doesn't show anything that should put him on the Pirates' radar. The veteran left-hander had just a 5.12 ERA and a 1.678 WHIP. He also walked 10.7% of opponents. Sandoval pitched just 70 1/3 innings and hasn't thrown more than 100 frames since 2023, after Tommy John surgery in 2024. He didn't throw a single pitch in the 2025 campaign.
However, the underlying numbers didn't hate Sandoval's performance. The left-hander owned a 3.77 FIP. He kept opponents to an above-average 87.5 MPH exit velocity (77th percentile) and a 6.5% barrel rate (67th percentile). Both numbers were similar to his career average of 87.3 MPH exit velocity and 6.2% barrel percentage. Other ERA estimators pinned him at about league average, with a 4.28 xFIP and 4.27 SIERA.
Bad luck affected Sandoval most in his batting average on balls in play. This year, he had a .382 mark, despite not allowing much hard contact, and his 0.90 HR/9 ratio sat right around his career average mark of 0.92. While Sandoval saw a decrease in ground balls, dropping from 47.9% GB% in 2019 through 2025 to 37.8% this year, his BABIP and significant GB% drop could be due to a small sample size.
Sandoval also got swings and misses at a solid rate. He struck out 22.7% of batters with a 25.3% whiff rate. He finished just above the 50th percentile in both categories this season. Despite missing over a year of play because of elbow surgery, Sandoval didn't lose any fastball velocity. Before his Tommy John surgery, Sandoval sat 93-94 MPH with his four-seamer. This year, he sat 93.4 MPH.
Sandoval's change-up was highly effective and his most-used pitch. He held batters to just a .204 xwOBA and a 39.7% whiff rate. When opponents did make contact against the pitch, they could only put up an 81.7 MPH exit velocity against it. He also put up a solid xwOBA and/or induced plenty of soft contact with his slider, sweeper, and curveball.
While he maintained velocity on his four-seam fastball and sinker, they were two ineffective pitches for him this season. Opponents had an xwOBA of .400 against his four-seamer, and an xwOBA of .517 against his sinker.
However, there certainly is hope that the Pirates could develop at least one of the two pitches. His fastball has average velocity, with 16.3 inches of induced vertical break, and 7.4 inches of arm-side run. Of the 83 left-handed pitchers in MLB this year who threw at least 250 four-seam fastballs, only 16 had at least 16 inches of IVB and 7+ inches of horizontal run.
Given Sandoval's down season in 2026 and his recent injury history, the Pirates may be able to sign him to a lower-cost contract. The left-hander just turned 30 in October and is on the younger side among his fellow free agent starting pitchers. He is just the seventh-youngest free agent starter on the market , and the fourth-youngest left-handed starter free agent.
If the Pirates look to round out the back end of their rotation this offseason with a free agent left-handed starting pitcher, Patrick Sandoval should be one of their top targets. While his surface numbers are not good, they don't tell the whole story, and the Pirates are still buying into his upside given his age.
More Pirates News:
Former Top Pirates Prospects in DFA Limbo Going Into the Offseason
Zack Gelof Could Be a Brandon Lowe Replacement for the Pirates
Five Free Agent Targets That Could Help the Pirates Overcome Their Biggest Obstacle From 2026
Main Photo Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
