The Pirates enter this winter on a quest to augment their offense in a way that could allow them to contend while superstar hurler Paul Skenes is still in town. Skenes is backed by a solid group of pitching options, including veteran Mitch Keller as well as young arms like Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler in the rotation along with closer Dennis Santana in the bullpen. That deep array of pitching options has virtually no support from the offense, however; while Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz certainly have the capability of being quality regulars in the lineup, only Spencer Horwitz (119 wRC+) and Joey Bart (101 wRC+) were actually above average hitters for Pittsburgh this year.
That leaves the team in need of help in the lineup, and they appear to be unusually willing to dip into free agency to get it. The team had interest in Josh Naylor before he re-upped with the Mariners and has even shown interest in star slugger Kyle Schwarber. A deal at or approaching $100MM would be virtually unheard of for the Pirates in their team history. Reynolds’ $100MM extension is the only nine-figure deal in history, and their next two richest deals (the $70MM range for Mitch Keller and Ke’Bryan Hayes) were both extensions as well. Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39MM deal from the 2014-15 offseason remains the largest free agent expenditure in team history more than a decade later.
While the Pirates have indicated they have more financial flexibility than previous offseasons and their interest in Schwarber indicates at least some willingness to spend, it would be understandable for fans in Pittsburgh to take the stance that they’ll believe ownership would greenlight that sort of financial outlay when they see it. Adding a top-ten free agent in this year’s class isn’t the only way the Pirates could improve this winter, however. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported yesterday that Pittsburgh is also looking at players like Ryan O’Hearn, Jorge Polanco, and Kazuma Okamoto as “perhaps more realistic options” to bolster their lineup via free agency.
All three clock in well below Schwarber’s five-year, $135MM prediction from MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. Okamoto is predicted for a four-year, $64MM deal, while Polanco is predicted for three years and $42MM and O’Hearn is predicted for two years and $26MM. Of that trio, only O’Hearn wouldn’t represent a new record in free agency for the Pirates, and given the fact that the Pirates entered 2025 with three $70MM+ contracts on their books it’s hardly out of the realm of possibility that they could stomach a deal on one of those levels. Any of those hitters would substantially improve the Pittsburgh lineup as well and could combine with Horwitz, Bart, Reynolds, and Bart to create a much more competent offense than the team had this season.
With that said, Rosenthal and Drellich caution that it could be difficult for the Pirates to convince even mid-level free agents like those to sign on in Pittsburgh if they get similar offers from teams with clearer paths towards contention. MLBTR’s Top 40 Offseason Trade Candidates list holds intriguing names like Brendan Donovan, Jarren Duran, Brandon Lowe, and Alec Bohm, all of whom would substantially improve the Pirates’ offense in their own right and allow them to do so without spending significant dollars or the player having the opportunity to turn them down. Of course, a trade wouldn’t necessarily preclude a free agent signing; in fact, if they were to acquire an affordable piece like Donovan, it might actually make them more likely to sign a free agent if players begin to view their path to contention in 2026 as more credible.
How do MLBTR readers view the hints of spending in Pittsburgh this winter? Will they make a splash in free agency this winter? Or, if not, will they at least sign a credible enough free agent to break the record held by Liriano’s deal from more than a decade ago? Will they go high enough to surpass the $70MM range of the Hayes and Keller deals? Have your say in the poll below:
Just give me like 3 decent hitters. That shouldn’t be a lot. Just 3 hitters, that I know will give the Pirates at least a 110 wRC+.
My expectation is they sign at least one of Polanco, Suarez, Okamoto, or O’Hearn, then make sort of a Spencer Horwitz 2.0-type trade. That’s it though, in terms of my expectations.
They’ll do just enough to stay out of the union’s crosshairs
No way
At least that IMO. Which I guess will make you happy? I don’t follow them closely, but I think you need a 3B, RF? What about SS?
They don’t need to sign a starter. My expectations they sign at least 1 maybe 2 hitters with a known name but older and nobody else wants. They will have a drastically worse season actually worse seasons with Pirates. The 2 Seattle guys are looking promising.
Yeah we need 2 hitters definitely. Would like definitely a 3b and outfielder at decent salaries or trade. But Suarez seems like the biggest need. A guy I could see as a 3rd hitter is hays
Suarez will have his greatest strike outs year ever with Pirates!
He has one good year then one or two bad ones.
They signed two veterans in 2006 Burnitz and the third baseman but Burnitz was then really good at only one thing and that was grounding into double plays.
They need an outfielder first,and could use a shortstop to cover until Griffin is ready.
They need another center fielder who hits right handed to cover CF against left handed pitchers.
If they get two good hitters plus a good hitting DH and the others hit better this year they actually can have a winning team.
That is a big if though.
I looked at the extensions for Anthony, Chourio and Merrill and I like the Pirates making a nine figure deal with Konnor Griffen.
I also like the Pirates acquiring Alec Bohm from the Phillies.
Let Griffen play in the Majors for awhile before that needs to happen.
They went too quick on Hayes and how did that work out?
Bohm only has one year left and the Phillies have no one to replace him.
They can get by with Triolo at third if they get a good DH and a good hitting outfielder.
Hayes played in at least 110 games at Double-A and Triple-A before he made his MLB debut. They didn’t rush him, his back is just cooked at this point after a herniated disc and a bunch of other back injuries.
Hayes has a slick glove, but he never was the potential dynamic player like Konnor Griffen. Griffen could easily be an Elly De La Cruz.
@MLB Top 100 Commenter Yeah, Hayes glove was always ahead of his bat, though his bat was never seen to be this bad. Ovbiously, that was well before a herniated disc and other back problems.
I was not clear but they signed him to the contract too quickly.
That was a PR move as much as anything.
MLB- I hope that he is much better than de la Cruz.
They signed him to that contract because even when he was putting up an OPS around .670, he was still averaging just over 3.0 fWAR per 150 games. That’s not even considering the fact he went from the 71st percentile of exit velocity and 75th percentile of hard hit rate, to the 85th percentile of EV and 84th percentile of HH% from 2021 to 2022, so it’s not like Hayes didn’t have the potential to do more damage at the time. He struggled to lift the ball, and had a GB% nearing 60% in 2021. The difference between a 3 WAR 3B and a 4-5 WAR 3B was a change in swing path at the time.
They also signed him to the contract before the back problems started taking hold of his game. Now, you’re talking about a guy who’d probably be happy to crack a .600 OPS, but who knows if he ever will given his severe decline in raw power. I have never once seen the Pirates ever really do anything to improve their PR, so I don’t see why this would have suddenly been a special case, especially for what was at the time a 3 WAR 3B.
The sort of season Maikel Garcia had in 2025 is the sort of hitter Hayes originally projected as. .280/.350/.450 hitter, average power, 120 wRC+.
Hayes was never going to hit more than 12-15 home runs per year.
The Pirates needed to say that they signed someone and had hyped him for years especially as a minor leaguer.
He was a 260-270 hitter with an OPS of no more than 700-750.
His worth was in his fielding.
I agree that he was probably more of a .270 hitter with a .750 OPS, but I still think he projected similarly to Maikel Garcia at his peak. Baseball America gave him a 60 grade for his hit tool and 50 grade for his power tool. According to their grades, that’s like a .275-.294 batter with 19-22 home runs, which based on the raw power he showed early in his career, I think was totally reasonable.
The most home runs that he had were ten in the minor leagues.
His top OPS’s were around 750 except for one year at 850.
Other than the first cup of coffee he had one good hitting year with the Pirates.
He never really had power except doubles power.That was sapped by injury but he was never a good hitter.
All hype by the Pirates because they had no one else and because of his fielding.
If they sign one of those, pick up another free agent from the next tier down and trade one pitcher for a young hitter with upside I would also be happy and them bring in a utility type and 2 decent BP arms then it can be called a reasonable success
For what it’s worth, Cleveland made it to the playoffs with only 2 such hitters in their lineup.
Admittedly, that’s probably not a formula to emulate as it also requires historic collapses in front of your team in order for that to work.
It was also because the Guardians’ hitters became super clutch in the second half. They had a 141 wRC+ with RISP from the start of July through the end of the season. How well a team does with runners in scoring position isn’t particuarly something you can predict and build around.
They don’t have an All Star hitter like Cleveland has in their lineup.
Even with Jose Ramirez in their line-up, their team OPS+ was only abou 3% better than the Pirates team OPS+.
We seem to need the same things in offense. Hope neither one of us is disappointed.
Starling Marte is a free agent, played for Pittsburgh, hit 111 OPS+ last year, and would be cheap. That could be one. Good vibes guy, too.
2 silvers sluggers added to the pirates and they could probably win the NL Central. The pitching is that good.
I just said to my wife “well, time to visit MLBTR again and ask myself with this finally be the year the Pirates do something?” And it turns out, half of you say no. And half of you are wrong.
Which half are wrong?
Yes.
They’ll do something. All this pirates are interested isn’t out there for nothing. Manfred thinks this is a smart idea. This was setup months and months ago. Won’t be anything exciting but compared to what they usually do it will seem slightly entertaining.
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It’s a shame the Pirates are limited to the frugality of there owner. They are a historic franchise and should be run like one. A history with iconic teams and players ought to be run with an owner willing to do whatever it takes.
The most reliable indicator of future behavior is past behavior.
And the answer is No
It’ll probably be more of a puddle than a splash.
What free agent would choose Pittsburgh over someone who can probably offer the same amount? Trade Skenes to the Bronx and call your off-season a success. Haha
The free agents no one else wants.
A very shallow puddle…even by puddle standards
Is Tommy Pham a splash?
If they would’ve dumped Keller’s contract I think they might have sent a little but only a trickle this year. No Schwarbombs over the Cemente wall this coming season
It’s bad when there’s a poll on if the Pirates are going to do much this offseason. This is only legitimate for the Pirates. Franchise is the laughingstock of baseball. Worse than the Rockies or White Sox even the Marlins.
I can’t go with you on “the” laughingstock. “A” laughingstock, certainly, but not “the”. Both the Rockies and White Sox are historically bad with no light at the end of the tunnel. Pirates are a couple of pieces away.
They have been consistently bad for over 30 years except for a couple years in there. Good luck getting a few pieces to make them a contender. They are the laughing stock of baseball and they have been the laughing stock of baseball for years. The Pirates go out of their way to be bad on a consistent basis. I agree they have the foundation of what could be a good team, but I have no confidence in ownership or management to make it work. Maybe you do I don’t.
Again, “a” laughingstock is fine. Outside of a couple of seasons, the Rockies have never been relevant. They have combined a pisspoor MLB team with a pisspoor MiLB system. Hard to do. The White Sox haven’t been relevant since the the iPhone was invented.
The pitching is so good it won’t take much. It is certainly within the realm of possibility.
And this is where the laughing stock part comes in. Like I said good luck getting a few pieces to make them contenders. those other teams might have failed miserably, but they have tried over the years to at least put a decent team on the field. Maybe not right now maybe not consistently but they did try here and there. The Pirates try to be bad and in the last place every year. That makes them the laughing stock.
If THIS —–> “Maybe not right now maybe not consistently but they did try here and there” <=——- is your only barometer of not being a laughingstock, then the Pirates are exempt of the charge by your very own criteria. Not arguing with a 12 year old.
Ok thanks
To your point, though, there is enough noise around the league (“sell the team” chants, MLB collective bargaining coming, pilots flying “sell the team” banners over games of other sports, getting blown up on any social media, etc.), that I think this time they might actually be coerced into spending “some” money. I am COMPLETELY on board with the noun you used, just not the definite article. There have been many embarrassing moments (names on bricks and an ad in stadium come to mind), and hopefully all of this pressure serves as an embarrassment to them. Only when they are embarrassed will it change.
“Outside of a couple of seasons, the Rockies have never been relevant.”
This applies to the Pirates as well. 144 seasons, 17 playoff appearances and five championships. Three of those titles came when there were only 16 teams. Their last title was 46 years ago.
Rockies have been around since 1993. In that time, they’ve reached the playoffs 5 times, the Division Series four times, and made a World Series. Since 1993, the Pirates have made the playoffs three times. Twice was the one game Wild Card, which they lost. The other time, they lost the Division Series. In other words, the Pirates have three playoff wins in the last 32 years. Rockies are “a” laughingstock. The Pirates are “the” laughingstock.
I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure the Rockies have a worse winning percentage compared to the Pirates since their inception into the league. Either way both notoriously woeful teams along with the A’s, white sox and marlins
You can add Nats too. Even year they won WS they were only a wild card team.
Can’t believe I’ve met someone shilling for the Rockies hahaha. YOU’RE the guy! Good luck with your new exec from the Cleveland Browns lmao.
If by a couple of pieces you mean 9 or more, I would agree. Utilityman Jared Triolo was the only position player on the Pirates that was league average or higher in WAR and he was only above average by a tiny margin and his offensive numbers were, well, offensive. No one else on the team was over 1.6 WAR. Only 1B Spencer Horowitz was an above average hitter. The light at the end of the tunnel for the Pirates is the freight train of another 90 loss season barrelling down at them.
It’s not 9. The pitching is good enough to win with a below average offense – which for the Pirates would be an improvement.
Ok, 8. They did have one player that was league average with the bat after all.
White Sox are historically bad with no light at the end of the tunnel. Pirates are a couple of pieces away.
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The WS are close: this is a good rebuild. The Pirates can be very good, but they can’t sit on their hands and expect a historically good rotation to carry them.
Joe- The Pirates are close to having a very fine rotation but the young guys other than Skenes still have to prove themselves.
Will you take Keller even up for Duran?
1-Yes, they have to prove themselves, but Chandler, Keller, Mlodzinski, Braxton, and Burrows, will combine to be one of the better rotations in BB, even without Skenes.
2-No to Keller-Duran. Duran is a good bit better and cheaper.
I really want Bubba, but I cannot see Pitt trading him. But I’d be very open to Duran for Mlodzinski+ of Ashcraft+.
So, Mlodzinski in a bullpen is pretty close to elite. Mlodzinski in the rotation is a dumpster fire.
The WS had one position player that was league average or better in rookie Colson Montgomery. 2 others were close to average and one is a FA. Like the Pirates, they are a very long way away from being competitive. If everything breaks their way maybe they can be in 2028 or 2029.
This is a joke right? There is no answer for 1.50.
The only way to do this is to go all in and to decide to stop being a farm system for other teams- extend Skenes to a deal he can’t refuse, match any large market offer for Schwarber, etc. and just go all in. Only way to do it.
I’ll feel kinda bad for a guy like Bryan Reynolds, who signed his long term extension when the Pirates could convince their players to sign very team friendly deals relative to their traditional budget, but who knows- maybe they’d even re-work Reynolds’ deal to show him that they’re serious about competing and matching the budgets of their competitors going forward.
It could force them to make one of, if not the largest off season layouts of new salary commitments in baseball history.
You want them to give Reynolds MORE money? $15 million a year for a guy who just put up a 99 wRC+ seems plenty.
Reynolds only cares about getting back to Nashville so he can breed. He requested a trade. They should’ve traded him. Cherington wanted to but Nutting didn’t let him. Instead they offered him so much $ he forgot everything he said and gladly signed. He’s doing fantastic.
Pirates can’t go all in. They didn’t make enough $. Got a poor cheap lazy greedy business man owner. Tv $ cut in half. Attendance plummeted.
When did he request a trade? Source on that?
Said like a true Trillionaire Team Operator.
Anyone who follows the Pirates knows that Reynolds was comfortable with the deal and indeed underperformed significantly this past year.
He is paid plenty of money and they will certainly not be reworking the deal.
If Reynolds doesn’t improve (and soon), then the remainder of his current contract is an albatross, and he will be immovable – similar to Soler in LA. Screw signing him for more. I agree with the “all-in” diagnosis, though.
Solar is movable. Just need to trade a even worse contract and LA will eat that up.
Come on BC get this party started! What’s that I hear, Burrows for Donovan of St.Louis????
Trades in-division are rare, and most likely won’t happen on either front.
Fake old news. Teams don’t care about in division. Donovan is just guy. Cards couldn’t care less if he is with another team in division.
Uh, OK.
There will be a lot of competition for Donovan. Don’t know if Burrows will do it, but it should get the attention of Bloom.
The Pirates have the pitching to be a strong team. We shall see if the owners want one.
If they don’t care, we’ll know by the start of spring training.
The Pirates are the worst-run team in all of baseball, and it falls squarely on Cherington and Nutting, who refuse to invest meaningfully in their team. Even the Rockies, Twins, and Angels seem to care more than the Pirates do.
Super- really?
It falls solely on Nutting. Cherington is an employee who has to work within the constraints an owner/boss gives him. If Nitting says here is $10 or $200 million he can do totally different things. They have a great depth at pitching , and have really drafted well recently – that’s working within the *Nutting constraints* of 0 foreign scouts in Asia or Oceania.
Unlike White Sox or Rockies they attempt to improve – and would do so if they had the *guts to invest* like other mid market teams have (see Kansas City or the Brewers)
BC is incapable of drafting/developing hitters. He’s proven it for 6 years. So it does also fall on him.
SuperDuper
The Pirates are the worst-run team in all of baseball, and it falls squarely on Cherington and Nutting
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Nonsense. Anyone comparing the Pirates to the Rox, Nats or the Angels is too far afield to bother coming back.
HAH!
The truth will be, the Pirates will claim to have been interested in “player A, B, & C” AFTER they have signed with new clubs for a lot of money, That way they will look like they were going to spend, but someone else outbid them. It wouldn’t be the first time for the franchise to do that.
I was glad that they did not get Naylor.
Many of these players do not want to sign with a team that is not a proven winner.
All that says is that they know they are not worth the money because they are not capable of turning a team around.
Hahahahahahahaha. That is all
Bob Nutting going to spend? No way that’s gonna happen
Guarantee he will. Has to in order to keep other owners and player union content. Won’t be much more but because they have to get to that number it will seem like more.
They will sign a couple who over estimate their market and Piitsburgh are the only ones willing to go multiple years. Then those guys will either perform as expected and be mediocre players or perform and get traded next season. Can’t imagine anyone who is in their prime and looking to compete would seriously consider the Pirates and their history of being one of the most dysfunctional organizations in sports.
They won’t even make an offer to anybody. They’ll keep saying that they were “interested” in every player who signs elsewhere, though!
As Pirates fans, we’ve heard this repeatedly
I have to thank Nick Deeds for writing the article but most of us would say, “I’ll believe it when I see it”
That said, one player isn’t going to do it. This team is deficient in multiple positions and almost completely anemic at the plate.
A splash in the toilet, maybe
MLBPA probably threatened them with sanctions if they didn’t have an active free agency. Nutting hasn’t spent on FAs since Obama was in office.
Nutting #1 priority is to do the bare minimum to keep getting his revenue sharing. Sanctions are no concern.
Not really a good poll when we already know the answer. Maybe they just wanted to see how many fans were drinking Cherington’s Kool Aid.
It’s good to put them on the spot like this
They won’t spend if they can help it but might to stop grievances.
They had grievance before. What ever happened? Absolutely Nutting
They’ll spend though because they don’t have to pay Hayes thank you Cincinnati. And don’t have to sign the yearly old lefty no other team wants for 5 to 8 million. No old washed up 1b for 3 to 6 million.
They need 3B, LF & 1B ! Sign O’Hearn (13mil), sign Okamoto(14mil), trade Keller or Burrows or Oviedo for Adell or Duran. May sound crazy for the Bucs but they can’t waste this pitching staff !! If it’s Keller they save 16 million there
I’m dubious on Okamoto, and Adell on defense would be a disaster. Look at his numbers in CF, and then recall that PNC Park essentially has two center fields. I think Duran would require more than what the Pirates would require. I don’t think just what you mention would get him – especially after they just got Sonny Gray.
They,if they want to take advantage of the time frame of Chandler-Skenes being cheap – they can’t (because they aren’t contenders yet) the top tier of FAs nor is Me Nutting willing to pay that level either.
Thus their best options are either *diamonds in the rough* – the Japanese FA’s who may pan out or not but definitely will be cheaper than MLB ones or flawed players – be it young ones who can be fixed (hopefully) or those that could rebound.
I think they should go after Okamoto who does have some power and can play passable 3B. And maybe dangle a Duran for Keller swap as the Sox have a surplus of OF and claim they need a #2 behind Crochet . And possibly swing some FA signings of established but tier 2/3 (after the top 20) players rather than retreads.
Don’t think Keller alone will get Duran, but Duran would help the Pirates a lot.
Good luck getting him (I hope you do).
It would be fun having the Pirates much better than they have been.
Agreed. He would help tremendously. I don’t think the Pirates could prudently get it done though. There’s huge risk of an overpay there. I am just imagining something crazy – like Chandler plus Temarr Johnson or something. They just got Sonny Gray, so the asking price for Duran probably just went up.
Duran wouldn’t cost that much or he will never be traded.
Chandler is not going anywhere nor probably Johnson.
They will trade Keller for Duran and if the Red Sox won’t do it they will keep Keller.
Duran is a good solid young hitter but everyone knows that the Red Sox have an excess there and need even another starting pitcher.
Correct, they should trade neither one of those two. I’m saying that’s probably what it would require. Keller alone wouldn’t do it.
ooch1978
I am just imagining something crazy – like Chandler plus Temarr Johnson or something.
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I think the sun is setting on Johnson.
OTOH, Chandler’s price might to high to find a trade partner. I’d feel comfortable offering the Pirates Duran + Campbell straight up for Chandler.
To your point, I myself have soured on him. (TJ).
Not happening lol pirates won’t get anyone.
It is far more likely that an elephant will grow wings and then fly from India to Iceland than it is for the Pirates to provide a player a contract in excess of 39 million dollars.
OK here’s what I would do if I could wave a magic wand and become GM for a day:
1) See if I could trade O’Neill Cruz and (probably a prospect would be needed) to pry Justin Crawford out of Philadelphia. It upgrades CF defense. It’s true that Crawford doesn’t have nearly the power that Cruz has, but if Cruz never makes contact the power doesn’t mean anything lol.
2) Try to get Kwan out of Cleveland. I wouldn’t mind an Oviedo or similar to get him. Stick him in LF. He could handle the LF in PNC.
3) Try to beg Andrew McCutchen to fill the Alexander Canario role from ’25.
4) Make Jared Jones the closer.
5) Go all out to try to get Schwarber and see if I can get him to play 1B, and move Horwitz to 2B.
6) Konnor Griffin is opening day SS unless he completely wets the bed.
7) Whenever there is a homer at PNC Park, the PA puts on the goal horn from the Penguins.
8. At the end of Bucs home wins, there is a pirate ship in the river with the Pirate parrot waving the Jolly Roger.
That was fun! Thanks for reading lol. .
Ugh. Forgot a bullet point. Try to get Harry Ford from Seattle. Bart would either be a bat against LHP (at 1B) or out. Not ready to give up on Henry yet.
Isn’t happening lol Griffin will end up a dude like their catcher. Pirates are done they should cash in on skenes while they can
Dude I hope not lol
Gooch
1 trade Cruz but Crawford will be a meh player and although I am not a Cruz fan Cruz has a much higher ceiling.Remember that AAA pitching is not nearly MLB and Crawford hits far too many grounders.He will hit comparable to Garry Maddox without the fine play in CF
2 is Kwan available?don’t know much about him
3 no good team will have Cutch and he cannot play the field anymore
4 Jones is not durable enough to start so this is a good idea
5 Schwarber is a butcher in the field worse than Hopkins and the Pirates could never afford the contract
6 Griffin is very young and needs more experience in AA and AAA-maybe after the AS break
7 that would be an entertaining improvement but do not how it would play in an open air stadium
8 Nutting is probably too cheap to pay for it but there is a good theme there
9 not familiar with Ford and they will probably try Bart for one more year but he could play first base against lefthanders if they take the time to train him properly
Thanks for the reply! I was wondering if someone would take me up on it. Thank you!
1) Do you follow hockey? If you do, about a decade ago now, there was the PK Subban for Shea Weber trade. It was unthinkable to trade 1-for-1 at the time, but the rationale on Montreal’s side that has always stuck out to me was, I think someone affiliated with the Canadiens said, “Would you rather have a guy who is sometimes a 9, sometimes a 5 – or a dude who is always, always a 7?” It speaks to organizational philosophy more than anything. I am higher on Crawford than you are, but I would totally take the 7.
2) Kwan is one of if not the best defensive LF in the game. Plays for Cleveland, Can hit, but not much power to speak of. Perpetually in deadline trade rumors. First choice to me would be Soderstrom (A’s), but I don’t think I could get him prudently.
3) Signing Cutch is totally the loyalty card. I sign him to one-year deals until the wheels completely fall off, but I want to have done enough to not have to depend on his bat. Having him as one of the most consistent hitters at 38 years old is unacceptable. But the dude is Mr. Pittsburgh. Canario role would be fine. Occasional RF (he did pretty good there in limited time last year) and DH to spell others.
4) Thank you!
5) I’m familiar with him behind the plate and LF (and would totally concur with that take!), but I wasn’t aware of him getting reps at 1B. Will research.
6) If moves get made and he’s not the focal point of the offense, it could work. If the lineup is deep enough to put him 7th or 8th until he gets his feet wet, then I say bring him up. However, if nothing is done and they’re expecting him to hit the ground running at 7 WAR or something, then yeah, you’re absolutely correct – leave him down.
7-8 speak to fan experience. There have been so many missteps (ad on Clemente wall, those memorial bricks that were destroyed, etc.). It at least points to the idea of trying for a better fan experience. The horn could be had second-hand I’m sure (the company that made it got bought out and I don’t think they make it anymore). Hell, they could play a YT video of it for all I care lol. I would think they would need to show a shot of the pirate ship on the jumbotron for the folks who can’t see it.
9) First choice would be Drake Baldwin, but there is no way Atlanta would let him go.. Harry Ford is a catcher who is blocked by Cal Raleigh. He is open to playing other positions and has said as much, but I’m not sure the bat will be good enough for those other positions – but it definitely would be better than what is at catcher currently. I concur about Bart at 1B – I have no desire for him behind the plate (the defense is atrocious). I really don’t want to give up on Henry – the legendary work ethic, his work with the pitchers (there is a noticeable ERA difference with practically everyone but Keller), but there needs to be some sort of offensive production there.
Thank you. This is so nice!
I replied because you put considerable time and effort into your post and it mostly made sense which is also often lacking.
Most posters do not.
1 no on hockey but seem to recall the trade.Excellent comparison and accurate regarding the numbers.
2 Pirates need power from the outfield
3 the Pirates owe their fans at this point to go for at least a winning record and no longer have room on the 25 man roster for a DH who has consistently gone downhill since he first played for them
You are too young to recall Willie Mays in the 1973 WS with the Mets but it was brutal to see the best player ever playing so badly
I would hate to see Cutch that way in a Pirates uniform.
4 You’re welcome and since Cherington reads this site postings it may help the Pirates.Jones is too small to stand the stress of starting on a regular basis
5 Schwarber is so bad in the field otherwise that what I said is a projection
6 We shall see soon enough.If he has a great spring they may keep him but remember they lost a full year to Skenes
7- 8 the pierogie races are becoming dull so you may be hired for their PR department
9 I saw a photo on Harry Ford and his swing which looked awkward but see that he is 42 on the prospects list.But they already got another fairly good young catcher from the Yankees for Bednar so that slot is filled
2) They need power from wherever they can get it to make sure the horn isn’t wasted haha. But 53 homers with 69 RBIs probably won’t help much lol.
3) You’re probably right, and that makes me sad. Want him to win one before he goes out so bad. So, I don’t remember Willie Mays, but there are corollaries to what you’re talking about in other sports – Emmit Smith with the Cardinals, and of course, boxing. So far though, Cutch has taken care of himself very well and is roughly a league average hitter at 38 – which for a Canario-role 26th guy on the roster isn’t a bad thing. Definitely an improvement from 2025..
4) Injury history, yes. Plus, i think he has the mentality for it (closer). I keep thinking Santana will eventually implode or get figured out. And I don’t trust Matson, at all.
5) Totally understand..
6) Based off of the assumption that Skenes will eventually/inevitably go, the window to be competitive becomes much shorter – which is a point in favor of Griffin starting from day one.
9) Ugh, the Bednar trade. I didn’t like the return at all – it seemed the return was Gerrit Cole-esque (quantity rather than high end). I could understand that type of request if it were, say, the Rockies, or another team with a barren farm system. However, MiLB Bucs are more stacked than they’ve been in years. I have limited data on Flores but frankly am not enthused and am quite skeptical. I’ve watched Harry Ford play a few games (Tacoma) and he seemed steady, not flashy – which I’m perfectly fine with. There’s also an added boost in that he is intent on becoming the next great black catcher. (To his point, outside of Charles Johnson I can’t really think of one). If that happens while he’s on the Pirates, that can only help haha.
Again, thanks for responding. .
1-Not a fan of Cruz or Crawford, but they should move Cruz to RF.
5-Playing Schwarber at 1st & Horowitz at 2nd will negate a lot of their value.
6-Konnor should start off in AA.
7-I like the horn idea.
Good point on Cruz with his arm which hopefully gets more accurate but at 103 average against lefthanders he needs to platoon.
1) See, I think Cruz would screw up RF too lol. And who would you put in CF to run to the RF line when Cruz falls down and just lays there? Also, putting him in RF makes Bryan Reynolds redundant – the contract is too big to move for just his bat, and he’s progressively becoming unplayable defensively. I could see Cruz moved to LF as a Temu Starling Marte, but you need a bona fide CF for that to work. Griffin is more natural in CF, but I’m not willing to do that. In a perfect world (I am GM for a day), Cruz would be gone. But if you guys are intent on keeping him, LF is where I would put him.
5) This is predicated on the fact that both of them would be atrocious at their respective spots. I don’t agree on atrocious – though there would be a degrade, sure. However, Horwitz would be a huge offensive upgrade over Gonzalez. Schwarber would most likely be an offensive upgrade over… Jared Triolo? Emmanuel Valdez? Joey Bart? Probably. The gain in offense would make up for degrading in offense. As to their individual value, even if I did concur, I’m not sure I would care about that for Schwarber. It’s about the team and whether having him would help me win – not what an individual piece is worth down the line in another future hypothetical trade deadline. Also, another team could trade for him and just stick him back at DH. Also, this organization is not immune to negating the value of their assets – IKF “is on line 1”.
6) Respectfully, I completely disagree. He played in 24 games in AA. in 2025. He was hitless in 3 of them. Finished with a 10 game hitting streak, Equally dangerous versus RH and LH pitching all year, For the entire year, hit .333 off of any pitcher that was older than him. If you’re insistent on minors for him, it’s Indy. He graduated Altoona.
7) Thank you! I don’t know why in the world no one has ever thought of it!
Thank you for responding to my fantasies lol.
I know that you responded to Joe Brady who is a fine poster but let me comment.
1 I think that the reasoning is that Cruz does have a very powerful arm and you need that in RF.I do not think it accurate and I know that he cannot hit lefthanders.
I am not against trading him in the least although it would be at his lowest value.
Reynolds would move back to left as his throws are rainbow like.
5 Schwarber is one of your fantasies.
Ann Margret is one of mine.
6 I think that we are talking about a couple of weeks in AA and a of couple months in AAA.
OK gotcha. Feel free to butt in – friendly and intelligent baseball discussion and I’m in.
I can agree for the most part. And LOL about the fantasy!!! I also must google Ann Margaret haha. Personally, I don’t think Reynolds is playable in left (precisely because it’s a second center field. It needs speed, which Reynolds doesn’t have anymore).But it MIGHT could work, depending on who plays center. But, you’re completely right about Cruz and left-handed pitching. There was a brief moment in ’24 where I thought he would turn it around. But I’m afraid that was an anomaly. I am far more pessimistic about Cruz than you, so I would counter “at his lowest value” with “while he still has some”.
6) That does make more sense and is reasonable. To me it would depend upon what they did in the offseason. If they made a real effort, MLB. If they don’t, minors. But when I hear “more minors” with this group, I automatically think of the slow walk they did for McCutchen (and others). That was crazy.
I welcome your posts.
Always good to have new input from knowledgeable observers who can give and take so that there is an iterative process to common ground.
A thought just popped into my head for the first time. I hope I’m wrong, but my personal comp for Cruz is Gregory Polanco with an arm.
Me as well but my analytics give you a none zero chance at her. 84 spouse died 2017. Time to make your move.
Too many phone calls.
Too many unreturned phone calls.
I’d they win the draft lottery that’ll them more confidence to go for it
Make a splash like a cannon ball dive – NO. Jump in with the yellow duckie waist float and arm floats, probably.
If you count J.J. Bleday as a splash.
I would be happy with a non-roster invitee to Spring Training (ironically enough), but anything bigger than that and I (and many others) would have a problem.
Woohoo! Non-roster invitee! Always a couple of good snags like Shelby Miller.
And to be fair, the word “happy” in my previous sentence is carrying a LOT of weight haha.
I think you misunderstood me. I meant “Bleday as a nonroster invitee” (and nothing more) – not a (generic) nonroster invitee..
They go $100+ to appease the PA.
In the past I’ve googled the cost of that horn! Totally doable! But hopefully the other things on the list would ensure it would actually be used haha.
Splash right into Randal Grichuk. One year, $7M…
Please no lol
Plus an option year. Haha!
Unfortunately, it would probably be a $2m bonus for 350 PAs, and then he would get DFA’d at 349 PAs when they’re 30 games under .500 lol.
Pirates spend money 😀
how many more skenes years will they waste till the inevitable trade to the dodgers happens ? ?
The rest of the years with the team.
Or Skenes could on a plane to Toronto…..
Flight Zero Three Niner LA to Toronto this is LAX Control tower you are instructed to return back to LAX and use runway 7.. We have been informed a passenger on board has unfinished with the LA Dodgers
Pilot- Roger that. Permission to dump fuel over the 405 freeway…..
Control Tower-Negative. Dump fuel in Mojave Desert. Repeat Dump fuel over the Mojave Desert..
Pilot-Roger Dodger
What’s you Vector Victor?
What’s your clearance Clarence?
Ooopsie…..May Not…..
Padres Red Sox more likely. They been eating up the pitchers the most. Or Yankees. They already got Cherington on Taillon Bednar so 3 times charm.
Lol
Skenes will be traded. Pirates are straight cheeks
This article is adorable.
They’ll spend. I expect something like Polanco & an Ohearn type. Maybe an Austin Hays sprinkled in there too.
They’ll then include those guys in a Skenes trade if the deal goes bad and they want to dump money. Nutting will Nutting.
It’s too bad some teams can shop at Niemam Marcus, Sak’s 5th Ave and Nordstroms.
And others at Target and and JC Penny
And of course the ones that have to go to Dollar Tree
And dollar tree is now dollar 50 tree and Nutting lost his TV deal and attendance.
With negotiations for the new CBA coming up the Pirates, who have revenue over $300 million, are feeling pressure from other ownership groups to raise their payroll to a point that will keep the MLBPA from filing another grievance against them. The feeling among other MLB owners is that teams like the Pirates not spending will create a more contentious CBA negotiations which could lead to a lockout and everyone loses if games are not being played.
I think you are right on and is the only reason that Nutting would increase his spending..
Skenes is easy to sign. 6 years 130 140 bam done. If isn’t smart enough to take it use him up and trade him before free agency. More important to sign KG and SH.
All that isn’t 140 million. And that’s just to get him talking. Pirates would be wise to go 150 160 170 if need be. He might not be that smart or likes risk and that’s fine but they should offer to him anyways. Trading him works as well if he says no. Pre arb bonuses are nothing. Arbitration is likely but no guarantee. Odds are he won’t have a illness or accident but why take the risk. And if he doesn’t accept on to the next one. Someone will be willing to take that sure thing $ right now. Millions tens of millions are nice but it’s not a hundred and some million guaranteed. You can live a nice life if you keep your spending in check make the right investments. Getting over hundreds guaranteed gives you more room for error and peace of mind. Or they can go huge with a opt out. It’s easy to see what’s going on. Pirates have the ability to give out a big extension and someone is going to take it in the coming years. Wait hoping to be a healthy free agent is a last resort for majority of people. I imagine there are a lot of players who wish they were offered the opportunity to buy out their arbitration and a few free agent years.
I didn’t say anything about extending SH right now. Your mind went there. Just at some point if things go well. Same for KG. Could do now but not necessary.
I voted between 39-70M because I don’t think anybody of a higher caliber will be willing to sign in Pittsburgh. I wouldn’t mind being wrong, though.
They will fight Nats for some bargain basement reclamation projects and hope for rebound.
No chance in hell. No interest in competing, no top tier FA’s would waste their (precious professional) time there…
They’ll sign a few lower tier free agents and waste that good young pitching staff for another year.
The splash is coming from Nuttings tears being forced to spend this $.
The best place that they could spend some money is getting a very good DH since that is the obvious place to fill the need for hitting and also the least expensive good free agent position.They could even go for more than one year if the player is not too old.
Mendoza, just wondering what your thoughts are on Alonso? It’s power, but PNC is where right-handed power goes to die… Outside of say Schwarber or a later Bichette (also RH), do you have any ideas? Not asking in order to debate – legit question.
Gooch-As much as there is hype about spending long time Pirates fans will believe it only when they actually see it.
I think that both Schwarber and Alonso are out of their price range.The Pirates have historically given league competitive offers to their own players but not high or middle free agents.
The high level will never change unless Cohen switches franchises.How many of them actually produce throughout their contract anyway?
If they do not get a good hitting outfielder in trade for pitching they need to sign one.
The parakeet in the coal mine is McCutcheon.If they sign him again for the ultimate hitter position you will know that this team is going nowhere.
The hitters could be righthanded because if they are pull hitters the left distance is not all that great.The alley becomes farther fairly quickly if I recall correctly.
They should trade for Casas and/or Duran and sign Hopkins and trade for Castellanos.
I doubt that three years for O’Hearn or Polanco will be worth it as they have met their apexes.
Menodza, I agree with practically everything here – and what I don’t, it’s an “unsure” rather than a disagree. For example, the budgetary constraints/out of price range.. I’ve heard rumors, I’ve read reports. Who knows what is actually true at this point?! .You’re probably right as far as them being a bridge too far, but as a GM for a day I seriously try to go all in on Schwarber. As for potential targets, I am an NL guy (I rue interleague play and no pitchers hitting, but it’s a lost cause haha), so I’m not as familiar with the AL guys. Do you by chance mean Rhys Hoskins? I think that could be intriguing, and Castellanos seems to have worn out his welcome in Philly, so that is a possibility.
But you’re exactly right about not believing it until they see it regarding spending – I am in the same boat. There’s been very few – Ivan Nova? Francisco Liriano? And never for a hitter. And you’re recalling correctly about PNC Park dimensions – dead pull hitters are fine, but it gets deep fast. And certainly what you said about Cutch. If he’s “A” piece, like an end of the bench fellow, that is fine. But if he’s supposed to be THE guy – and I’ve even seen a recent report they’re also talking to Tommy Pham – then that’ll cement 2026 before it even starts.
Great minds think alike.
I did mean Hopkins and Castellanos as they would both be cheap and are both young enough to have one more good hitting year although both are bad fielders.
Hoskins Castellanos? Just give Jack Davis Gonzales Triolo Yorke at bats if that’s your plan.
Go get Schwarber. He will be cheap and could possibly even make Nutting $ if things go well. Would be the best $ they spent in 10 years. At least get it reported they offered him 40m a year or the most $.
He will be making at least $30 M per year just for a DH.
Do you really think that Nutting will outbid the Phillies?
They need to bring in new guys who were fine hitters at one point just to show that they are trying.Both will be cheap.
They will need to make a major trade to get the young hitters that they need.
I think Nutting will do Nutting. But should offer Schwarber whatever it takes up until 40m a year. Can’t just beat Philly offer you have to destroy it. If they go 30 for 4 years you got 30 for 5 or 6 or 35 for 5. Make sure it gets reported too and he turned it down.
I dunno how least expensive Schwarber is going to be. Least expensive is Cutch. Most other options will be closer to Cutch than Schwarber. Outfield is the obvious position to me. They just have to be better than Suwinski. 2b 3b just has to be better than the very average at best options they currently have. Although TJ should be ready for 2b soon. Maybe Triolo late season is real deal but I wouldn’t bet another wasted year on it and they need a utility player anyways. Sign a 2nd outfielder Reynolds can dh. Or if it needs to be a RF Jack in left Reynolds dh. Or a 1b and Horowitz Bart dh. Cutch in DH platoon. Cruz at DH. Basically if it isn’t Schwarber I don’t want a dh.
It’ll look like the A’s free agent spending last off season.
another future Yankee pending.
To your point, when Sid slid I was 14. I’ve been a fan since 11. Listened to old AA broadcasts here (Carolina Mudcats) nightly because there was a chance they might be Pirates one day. The whole nine. But If the haul for Skenes is what they did for Gerrit Cole, I’m out.
Hence the 1978 in your name!
The only Mudcat who I knew was Mudcat Grant who pitched for the Pirates in the 1960’s.
I think that Cole wanted out and was whining and Huntington was afraid his somewhat minor injuries would change into a major one.
There are many problems with the Pirates franchise, the only reason the owners take the fall is because they are at the top.
Until they figure out why the franchise cannot develop their young hitters they have no reason to spend anything. Say what you will about NH, his staff had some good success. BC has nad none.
Getting Reynolds back to a bit above average, Cruz at least getting on base, davis being less of a negative while getting a couple non-negative bats then .500 is a reasonable possibility.
They are very unlikely to get that in the FA market, players don’t want to sign for that many maybes.
I find it more likely they yet again get FAs to trade or release after the deadline just for appearance.
To your point, joew, since the Pirates cannot develop hitters, their pitching prospects could be turned into ML-ready hitting, that has been developed by organizations that can develop hitters.
Here’s to hoping that owners were ashamed and embarrassed enough to actually open the pocketbook this time around.
Clearly, this is the year Nutting loosens the money belt… Signs Adolis Garcia with a hefty 4×15.5M deal; also outbids Seattle for Polanco 4x14M… You gotta believe!
Chandler for Duran + Campbell. Who says no?
If the Red Sox swapped out Campbell for a good ML ready hitter the Pirates would have to seriously consider it even if they had to add a minor leaguer to Chandler.
Duran essentially straight up would be a no.
But keep in mind Cherington’s poor track record as a trader.
He cannot survive another bad trade of a pitcher.
I figure on Campbell, he might only be one year away from being the Pirates leftfielder. He was the player of the year, which is a pretty big deal.
I still can’t see the Pirates trading Bubba, but they need hitting a lot more than pitching.
I was impressed with Casas and his power.
What would it take to get him as the Pirates DH?
The Pirates NEED to make a splash in the FA market. The minor support they have will vanish if they don’t get offensive players to match up with their fine pitching.⚾
Amazing the amount of Pirates fans that show up here. Guess it’s because this is the only exciting time of the year. As soon as the season starts the hope fades away. I look forward to more of the same. No Schwarber or Alonso or Suárez for sure. Doubtful on Polanco or O’Hearn, they can’t pull off a trade for Duran or Donovan.
Sure they will spend $25M one way or another to keep the league off their backs, but they need an outfielder, 3B, SS, DH, and a couple relief pitchers. Plus they will still sign a veteran lefty even though they don’t need one. $25M ain’t going far.
Don’t expect to see Griffin at all this season either. Doesn’t matter how good he is. They are openly searching for 1B or 2B so they can move Gonzalez to short. With a potential lockout coming they don’t want Griffin on the roster.
Wish I was wrong this year but we all know I’m not. Remember last year when they were in on Alonso? Or Cody Bellinger the year before? How about Trea Turner or Kris Bryant before that. Not too long ago they were after Manny Machado and trading for Bryce Harper. We see this literally every offseason. Why believe it’s gonna happen now?
Those high priced free agents have never been on the list for the Pirates as they are unaffordable.
Most Pirate fans would be happy with two or three mid tier free agents who they will have to overpay to get them.
Mendoza you need to get over to the Dylan Cease article. Hundreds of comments saying he is a #4 starter because of his era. Even seen some win loss record ones! Go join your kind! It’s incredible. Era should be dead and 98 percent of fans still use it. This article though is a explosion of era lover’s. Big era org. Have fun. Be safe though.
Don’t get into trouble young man.
Respect your elders.They are older and wiser and lived in a time when common sense was still common.
And don’t drive after tryptophanning!
Schwarber, Okanoto, and Helsley and they win the WS
The PPPPirates sign a Big FFFREE Agent???BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Hohohohohohoho
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
LMFAO LMFAO
You’re killin’ me Smalls.
😂