As the Pirates inch toward March 27 and their season opener against the Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami, the relief pitchers have made one thing clear: They are out to prove they can be one of the best bullpens in all of Major League Baseball.

Just a year ago, they carried those same expectations into the season. With David Bednar coming off his second straight All-Star appearance after he recorded a league-high 39 saves and Aroldis Chapman being added to the group, there was a foundation in place that raised expectations. But, they didn’t live up to them.

The bullpen blew a combined 27 saves, tied for the third-highest amount in MLB, and recorded the fourth-highest ERA (4.49). With the talent that was in place, they knew they should’ve done better. 

“It just didn’t go as well as we thought. It was alright, but it wasn’t as good as we thought it would be,” Colin Holderman told me earlier this week. “We were supposed to be dominant.” 

Now, the Pirates bullpen is out to change that and while spring training results can be taken with a grain of salt, the bullpen has started to build momentum and raise the bar.

Outside of a few appearances, most of the Pirates’ relief pitchers have put together a strong spring. Kyle Nicolas hadn’t allowed a run until today’s 3-2 win over the Phillies. Dennis Santana has only allowed two hits, with one of them being a home run. Holderman hasn’t allowed an earned run since his first appearance of the spring and hasn’t given up a hit in his last two and while Bednar has been up and down, he’s strung together two solid outings after a strong start. 

The list continues with non-roster invites Tanner Rainey and Ryan Borucki, along with Tim Mazya and Caleb Ferguson. While some are new to the team this year, there’s motivation to erase what happened a year ago.

“We came into spring knowing that we have to be better than we were last year,” Nicolas told me. “So, I feel like a lot of people have come in just ready to rip hitters' heads off and throw the s–t out of the ball. It’s been really fun. I think we have some of the nastiest guys in the league to be honest and just watching everybody execute and just dominate for the most part has been really fun.”

However, what’s been most impressive about this group is how they have strung together strong appearances. If one pitcher dominates, another follows. Those are the type of performances that make a strong bullpen.

Take Monday’s 4-2 win over the Twins as an example. Paul Skenes allowed one run in his 4 2/3 innings of work, and while Santana made one mistake – the only home run he’s given up this spring – five relief pitchers combined to allow one hit, walk two and strikeout nine in 4 1/3 innings of work. 

“I know baseball can be an individual sport, but the bullpen collectively as a whole, you want to hold strong and treat it as a unit and pick each other up along the way,” Tim Mayza said. “Good pitching is contagious and I think when one guy is able to pass the baton and keep it going and going down the line, it’s a great feeling.”

Each pitcher has made their fair share of mistakes. Mayza’s came against Detroit on March 2 when he gave up a three-run home run, but otherwise has given up just five hits and struck out eight in six innings of work. Bednar’s came against the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla. last Thursday and Ferguson gave up four earned runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Red Sox on March 4. They haven't been perfect, but for the most part, the unit has been strong.

That has created a problem for Derek Shelton as he tries to whittle down his roster to 26 players. But as the sixth-year manager has said, that’s a good problem to have.

“I think this is the deepest group we’ve ever brought in,” Shelton said. “In terms of not only the guys' stuff but also major league experience. We’re at the point now where that makes for good competition and it’s one of those things where it’s probably going to go down to right near the end of the camp in terms of how we fill out the end of the bullpen.”

One can thoroughly imagine that Bednar, Santana, Holderman and Nicolas will make the opening day roster. They were there last year, and they’ve showcased enough through the spring. Mayza and Ferguson, two of the Pirates’ free-agency signings should also work into that mix. Ferguson has worked in several different roles in the past and has the volume to be an opener or a long reliever while Mayza has showcased that he’s trending toward his 2023 form when he recorded a 1.52 ERA in 53 1/3 innings of work. 

That leaves two spots for Borucki, Rainey, Carmen Mlodzinski, Justin Lawrence, Peter Strzelecki and Joey Wentz. Rainey and Borucki, who are non-roster invites, have been two of the strongest performers this spring. 

Borucki has worked eight innings and given up just one earned run, which came on a home run. He’s also allowed just four hits and struck out 11 while walking five. He was part of the Pirates’ bullpen a year ago but dealt with left tricep inflammation in April and didn’t return until September. His injury-riddled season came a year after he recorded a 2.45 ERA in 40 1/3 innings of work. 

Rainey has only given up two hits and one home run while walking two in seven innings of work. He’s also struck out 11 batters. He missed almost the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and has been healthy enough to succeed this spring.

“So far the big thing is one being healthy and two, trying to be in the zone and around the zone a lot more, making competitive pitches,” Rainey said. “It’s no secret that when I’ve been in trouble, it’s walks and getting in bad counts. So trying to eliminate that has been the big thing.”

Mlodzinski, Wentz, Lawrence and Strzelecki are all on the 40-man roster. Mlodzinski is the only one who has an option remaining and is in an intriguing situation as he is trying to build up his volume to become a starter. Rainey and Borucki are also out of options. Which adds another layer to Shelton’s decision. However, when it comes to making that choice, Shelton said he considers a few things.

“You try to take best stuff, No. 1. But you also have to look at the functionality of how the entire bullpen is going to work,” Shelton said. “Then you also start to look at what are the different looks we can give to make sure we have different options.”

With five Grapefruit League games remaining, Shelton has a lot to consider before solidifying his bullpen and he has plenty of options to choose from. But, if one thing is for certain, this group is ready to prove itself, no matter who makes the roster.

“We definitely have a mindset that we are going to attack and we’re going to take the game to the hitters, not let the hitters take it to us,” Holderman said. “We all know we have really good stuff, we probably have some of the best stuff in the league here and everyone is throwing 100 with nasty stuff and the only way we are going to get beat is if we walk people because it’s hard to get three hits in a row off of some of these guys. So just being in the zone with our best stuff and I think we should be alright at the end of the day.”