Pirates fans received some ominous news today when John Perrotto of Pittsburgh Baseball Now reported that right-hander Jared Jones was “likely” to undergo Tommy John surgery. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com expanded on that report shortly thereafter, emphasizing that nothing has been decided yet regarding Jones’s status. With that being said, Stumpf did report that Jones is poised to meet with orthopedic surgeon (and Rangers head physician) Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday and that surgery is “an option” for the righty, who was shut down near the end of Spring Training due to elbow soreness that eventually turned out to be a UCL sprain.
Jones was shut down for six weeks following that diagnosis, and (as noted by Stumpf) began playing catch at the tail end of April. Updates on Jones’s status have been sparse since then, but this latest update is not exactly an encouraging one. While it’s not yet clear if Jones will end up going under the knife, surgery after this attempt to rehab his elbow would still cost him his entire 2025 season, but could put his 2026 campaign in jeopardy as well. That’s a frustrating outcome for any pitcher, but particularly a 23-year-old who made his big league debut just last season an enjoyed a solid rookie campaign where he posted a 4.22 ERA and 4.01 FIP across 22 starts.
It may be quite some time before he’s able to attempt to build on that performance at this point. Losing Jones for that extended length of time would be crushing for a Pirates club that has struggled to a 15-32 record to this point in the season and is built around the strength of its young starting pitchers including Jones, 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, and top prospect Bubba Chandler. That trio when paired with Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney would make for one of the most fearsome on-paper rotations in the sport, but Chandler has yet to make his big league debut while Jones has been sidelined by injury all season.
Those dents in the armor that is the club’s rotation have only served to further exacerbate the issues brought on by a deeply flawed bullpen and lackluster offense. It’s already arguably cost the Pirates whatever shot they had at making a postseason run this year, but the loss of Jones for most or all of 2026 would risk casting a grim note over next season’s team as well without a significant turnaround going forward or a more robust financial outlay this winter than ownership has shown itself to be comfortable offering.
Of course, a meeting with a surgeon is not necessarily the same thing as being ticketed to undergo surgery itself. Gerrit Cole famously held a meeting with noted surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache last spring, but needed only to rehab his ailing elbow in the short-term and was able to return in the second half last year for the Yankees, though he did eventually end up requiring surgery during camp this past spring. Whether Jones ultimately ends up undergoing surgery or not at this time, it seems likely at the very least that his rehab progress will be slowed or perhaps even halted entirely. That would leave the Pirates without the talented young righty for even more of the 2025 campaign.
To this point, Bailey Falter (4.02 ERA) and Carmen Mlodzinski (5.67 ERA) have been relied upon to fill out the Pirates rotation behind Skenes, Keller, and Heaney. Chandler’s eventual promotion should create additional depth, however, and other options like Braxton Ashcraft and Thomas Harrington remain available in the minors who are already on the 40-man roster in case of further rotation injuries.
Just bite the bullet and get it done. Just an unfortunate situation for the guy.
And call up Bubba Chandler. What are they waiting for?
Super two? Not being possible to win ROY? Who knows with these clowns. Obviously a home game to make a few more bucks.
God hates us.
I doubt that, but your owner does.
Whoever designed the human body didn’t build it to throw a baseball without breaking. If a lil weak man decides he wants to pitch that’s on him.
Could any team in baseball make the Pirates a reasonable offer for Skenes?
Reasonable won’t be close enough. Has to be more than overwhelming and that’s still probably not enough.
If the Pirates can’t win with him and they refuse to spend money then they might as well trade him.
Anthony, Mayer, Campbell and Dobbins. I think thats getting close at least. Anthony is the best prospect in baseball.
King. Of. Cards;
Remember what Branch Rickey said to Ralph Kiner when he wanted to cut his salary after Kiner led the league in HR’s with the Pirates in 1952 after the team finished with a 42-112 record (and the fans stopped showing up):
“We finished last with you, we can finish last without you.”
Of course, those days are gone. It’s all about entertainment now.
Skenes sells tickets. Empty most days, but when Skenes is on the hill, it’s somewhat full.
Yeah, it’s too bad the players are actually getting paid what they’re worth today and aren’t subject to having their salaries cut by stingy GMs. Marvin Miller put an end to all that. It was too late for Ralph Kiner’s generation though.
Any team with 4 top 50 prospects with at least one top 15 could get it done. That’s a hard price to pay. And Pittsburgh could easily still get at least 2 with 2 years remaining.
Given the train wreck of last off season and this pathetic, punchless season so far, I have no idea why anyone here is deemed “untouchable”
No idea at all
AI, you’ve said the rebuild is over but after watching this lifeless team, it’s clear their GM needs to go because let’s face it, this owner is going nowhere.
Clean house from top to bottom
Burn it all down and rebuild it again
Maybe Jones will be their anchor in ‘27
Probably talking double what Juan Soto got back. Whatever that is.
Crochet had 2 year left. Skenes 4 and half. It was fair return so figure Skenes worth 2.5 to 3 times as much. Hard to see many teams wanting to pay that. Hard to see Pirates interested in trading him. It’s just a fantasy thing people will talk about for attention.
Rebuilds been over since end of 2022. It wasn’t a meta build. Wasn’t even good. Heck average is pushing it. But it was over.
No reason for another rebuild. There’s enough here to put together a mid 80s high 80s team.
Fans are going to think it’s a rebuild when everyone nearing free agency is traded in July but that’s just doing business.
A rebuild would be trading Skenes Cruz. Anyone else can be easily replaced. Maybe probably not by Cherington but a real gm.
Cherington needed fired October 2024. He was bad then for failing to develop bats and keeping Shelton so long. Signing Pham was another blunder.
Only a matter of time.
Best they do it before he needs TJ.
Don’t understand why they have waited 4 months!!? Clocks ticking Ben!! You better make a move,grow a set!
Having surgery isn’t fun
I wonder if they are going with Meister cause they are too cheap to foot the bill for ElAttrache?
Been a MLB fan since 1981. By far, the most frustrating thing about today’s game is pitchers blowing out their arms.
Pitchers want to be the best, get recruited, get drafted, get paid etc etc.
Game was just as entertaining maybe even more so without everyone throwing hard.
Throw hard = blow out your elbow. Not sure why that concept is so hard for teams to understand.
Throw soft = find another career. Always the next hard thrower waiting in the wings to throw hard risk an elbow blowout to make the big bucks. Pitchers going on the shelf for a year or more is the cost of doing business and there’s plenty of money owners have to go around.
I think that the excessive spin on breaking balls does not help either.
They throw too much. Too hard often and early. It’s so competitive. But the elite elite kids don’t need to over do it.
No offense Nick, as you are just the latest in an endless line to assert it – but what about a healthy Pirates rotation would make it “one of the most fearsome in the sport”?
Jared Jones had a hot start last year, tailed off, and if healthy would be a good young arm. Mitch Keller clearly would be nothing more than a 4th starter in a contending rotation. Andrew Heaney was on the scrap heap, Bubba Chandler has never thrown a pitch in the major leagues.
This rotation is Paul Skenes and a pile of standard-issue mediocrity, and that’s plain as day. And, of course, zero depth. That’s hardly “fearsome”.
Skenes is perhaps the best pitcher in baseball. Chandler is the number 2 overall prospect in baseball. I agree Jones is overrated but thats a 1 2 punch that could be the best in baseball by 2026
Heaney was on scrap heap because other teams are just plain dumb. He will be traded to a contender just like every year the Pirates trade their old scrap heap lefty. Probably to the Padres.
What contenders have 3 healthy starters better than Keller? And how many contenders do you count?
Bubba looks as good as a prospect not named Skenes Strasburg Cole can look.
Skenes, Jones, Keller, Bubba and some combo of Oviedo or Falter would have been a great starting staff
But the word “fearsome” no longer applies in the era of 5-6 inning/100 pitch starts
Even this staff on a team that is punchless and without a strong bullpen amounts to “not much”
If you didn’t see this coming, you’re just not paying attention. The sad thing is, there will be a lockout after the ‘26 season. Who knows when this guy will pitch again.
In another month or so the Steelers will announce training camp opening day.
Refresh Steelers.com for updates.
Samuel- The Steelers aren’t going anywhere either.
They do not even know who their starting quarterback is and they should ask the Jets about it.
Not to mention the Penguins finished tied for 24th this season.
It’s a bad time for sports in the steel city…
maybe there’s a good movie on somewhere?
Wow. Who would have thought that the White Sox and almost all non Colorado teams have a better future than pit
Pittsburgh future looks great. Just get a gm who knows what they are doing and they will be good.
No. It certainly doesn’t.
Perhaps if you were GM, as your plans have great merit
But “The Nutting Way” is the frugal blueprint for huge windfalls off the field and continued losing on it
My team wouldn’t be winning but it would still be hanging around. Any of my outfielders were better than Pham. And I would have kept starting Canario. Mark Canha hit .346 or .375 or something crazy in April. Obviously cooled down but that April would have been sweet. Would be a better platoon with Horwitz than Solak. At least a safer more proven option. Could have signed Canha and a outfielder better than Pham for less than Pham cost.
Cherington did have some bad injury luck. Gonzales Horwitz Valdez hurt. Reynolds slump. Mayza Lawrence injury.
But Valdez could have played more. Canario a lot more. Didn’t take full advantage of the few bats he did have.
It does look good if they get a gm who can develop some talent and not do dumb things.
Going to reload farm system at deadline. Top 10 draft pick this year and next. Could trade Bart Reynolds Keller Falter.
Outfield of Canario Cruz and free agent. Remember Reynolds Keller make real $ so you can get a semi real free agent.
Infield Hayes SS IKF back Peguero Cheng Triolo ( most likely). Gonzales Horwitz.
Valdez Gorski whoever else on bench.
Catcher obviously Endy Davis
Rotation Skenes Bubba Barco old lefty no other team in baseball wants even though they are very solid to good. 5th starter another free agent Oviedo Burrows Ashcraft Harrington Solometo
So I just traded eliminated from this team Keller Falter Reynolds Bart and it’s not much worse for wear. Imagine the prospecta that would bring in? Or mlb talent. You don’t have to trade for prospects. Trade Reynolds for a mlb pitcher. Trade Keller for outfielder.
Bullpen is how it’s always been with Cherington Huntington. Scrap heap other teams don’t want. It’s a good strategy. If they stopped using Holderman and Mayza Lawrence didn’t get hurt pen would look better. Better reliever usage would help. I make it sound easy but it really is. Just last year Santana and Hill were gifted dfa and zero teams were interested in Hill and only 1 in Santana. Same with Lawrence. Works with position players even see Bart Canario. Teams are stupid. Just have to be smart enough to accept their gifts. Cherington being desperate gets his share of them.
This story is one that many Pirate fans knew already.
This year just keeps getting worse and worse.
Before the season began, I’d have give. 38-36 months before Skenes’ camp requested a trade.
Now I give it 15-18 months