Through the first 43 games of the 2016 Major League Baseball season the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen has struggled mightily. The Pirates currently rank 21st in the Majors in bullpen home run rate (1.11 HR/9), 27th in FIP (4.60), 28th in WAR (-0.7), and 29th in xFIP (4.68). If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to catch and then beat out the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division, their bullpen is going to have to be better.
The biggest issue for the Pirate bullpen has been the middle relief. The back end of the Pirate bullpen anchored by Neftali Feliz, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon has still been very good.