Why the Pittsburgh Pirates Are Not Likely to Re-Sign Pitcher Edinson Volquez

Prior to the start of the 2014 Major League Baseball regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates had two shining starting pitchers in their rotation: Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole.  

Liriano was coming off a 2013 season in which he went 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA in 26 starts for the Pirates, as he led his team back to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. 

Cole, on the other hand, was coming off his first season in the big leagues, a season in which he went 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA.  

Then there was veteran Edinson Volquez, who the Pirates had signed to a one-year deal during the offseason.  Prior to this season, Volquez had finished the last last five seasons with an ERA north of 4.00.  

So, who could have ever expected Volquez to be the most reliable starting pitcher for the Pirates in 2014? 

Through 30 starts this season, Volquez has gone 12-7 with a 3.15 ERA.  The last time he won 12 or more games in a single season was in 2008 when he went 17-6 for the Cincinnati Reds.  

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Volquez has been one of the main reasons the Pirates are heading back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 2014, but when the season comes to end, the organization will have to make a major decision.  

A 31-year-old veteran, Volquez will become a free agent after the World Series ends.  Based on past moves by this organization, it is safe to say the Pirates aren't likely to re-sign him.  

According to Paul Palladino of Sports Illustrated, Volquez is interested in re-signing with his current team. The only problem is that at his age, he is seeking a multiyear deal.  

The Pirates have another starting pitcher who will also become a free agent at the season's end in Liriano. 

Liriano, who will turn 31 next season, has really turned his season around after starting 1-7 with a 4.72 ERA.  He currently stands at 7-10 with a 3.32 ERA, and he has allowed just three earned runs over his last six starts.  

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Judging by the way Liriano has pitched lately and by his tremendous 2013 season, it is more likely that the Pirates would sign him to a multiyear deal over Volquez.  

General manager Neal Huntington has been reluctant to hand out deals to aging pitchers.  This offseason, he let starting pitcher A.J. Burnett sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.  

At the time, the move was questionable, as Burnett was coming off a 2013 season in which he went 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA with the Pirates.  In 2012, he finished 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA with Pittsburgh.  

As it turned out, Burnett has gone on to have a horrible season with the Phillies, going 8-17 with a 4.51 ERA.

Part of the reason Huntington wouldn't bring Burnett back was because he is now 37 years old and just about finished with his career.  Still, as Volquez will turn 32 next season, it is unlikely that the Pirates will sign him to anything more than a two-year deal.  

If they do re-sign Liriano, the Pirates will have a rotation that features him, Cole, Vance Worley, and Jeff Locke. 

If Volquez does accept a two-year deal, the Pirates would be smart in re-signing him.  

At his age, however, he is probably looking for more than a two-year deal, and the Pirates likely will not give that to him. 

*Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference