First Base Update, Or Lack Thereof

Winter Meetings are over and the Pirates still have a need at first base. The only real rumor we heard about last week was the Mets being interested in trading Ike Davis. It’s hard to really believe that rumor since we heard nothing about it from any other sources.

Josh Willingham was a guy that I thought the Pirates would go after, but it really doesn’t seem like they are too interested.

Carlos Pena is the other big free agent name that the Pirates could make a push for…

Pena declined the Cubs arbitration offer and is probably looking for a multi-year deal. That kind of deal might not be the thing the Pirates are looking for, especially since Pena is already 33 years old. However, I think Pena could help this team greatly for the next few years. You can’t hurt your team by adding a guy with a career .486 slugging percentage to a lineup that seriously lacks power.

We still have a long way to go before this offseason is over, but the lack of rumors is kind of alarming. Pena and other free agents probably won’t be on the market for much longer, especially after Prince Fielder signs somewhere, so the Pirates need to move quick if they want to upgrade at that position.

I will be extremely disappointed if we find out that the Pirates are content with their internal options of Garrett Jones, Matt Hague, Nick Evans, and Jake Fox.