Pittsburgh Pirates: Love to Go Black Friday Shopping

Editorial: The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the most financially conservative teams in the league.  They are always looking for the best deal, much like many people on Black Friday!

If there is one thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have had a lot of success doing the last few years, it is finding bargain free agents.  In a way, the Pittsburgh Pirates let the bigger free agent market shake out.  Meanwhile, they look for the cheaper buys, the off-brand players that can perform just as well as the main brand players.  Really, they act like consumers on Black Friday, always looking for the best deal, and trying to do it quickly before other teams catch on.  They are the epitome of bargain shoppers.

The first bargain buy for the Pittsburgh Pirates was in 2011, when they signed relief pitcher Jason Grilli.  In his first season with the Pirates Grilli made league minimum.  What he provided in that season was irreplaceable.  He became one of the better setup relievers in the National League.  He threw in 28 games for 32.2 innings and posted a 2.48 ERA.  Meanwhile, this sets him up for the Pittsburgh Pirates to hang on to him through 2013, when he then was converted to a closing role.  If the Pittsburgh Pirates would not have taken the low-risk chance on him back in 2011, they may have missed a key piece in making the playoffs in 2013.

In 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates did not have a bargain buy per se.  In the general sense of Black Friday, you simply go out and buy a product, just like in MLB free agency.  However, in 2012 the best bargain was AJ Burnett, who they traded for.  Burnett, as many know was the GOAT of the Pittsburgh Pirates in his time here, was another key to the Pittsburgh Pirates making the playoffs in 2013 and 2015.  Meanwhile, the New York Yankees were paying $11.5 of his $16.5 million contract, leaving the Bucs on the hook for $5 million, a huge discount.

In 2013, the Pittsburgh Pirates made one of their best free agent signings in recent history.  The Bucs were somewhat aggressive and signed free-agent catcher Russell Martin to a 2 year deal worth $15 million. Martin was coming off a pretty poor season in 2012 with the Yankees.  He hit .211 and only produced a 2.0 WAR.  Still, the Pirates needed a catcher and Martin was endorsed by AJ Burnett.  The Bucs took the chance and finally filled their gaping hole behind the plate.  He produced a 4.1 WAR, 15 homers, and 14 defensive runs saved in the 2013 season.  Martin was just as productive in the 2014 season.  He ended up earning three times as much money in Toronto because of how productive he was in his two years with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Bucs needed to add to their pitching staff in 2014.  They once again went bargain hunting.  This time the Pittsburgh Pirates found it in Edinson Volquez.  The former Cincinnati Reds ace signed with the Pirates on a rebound deal of 1 year and $5 million.  He very much outpitched that contract.  He threw to a 3.04 ERA with a record of 13-7.  The Pittsburgh Pirates gave him the nod for the 2014 Wild Card game.  He doubled his profits the next offseason getting a $2 year and $20 million dollar deal from the Royals.

Next: Jaime Garcia Target?

Although there are many other examples, these seem to be the most bang for the price examples.  Another could have been Francisco Liriano back in 2013 and 2014 when he made $7 million between the two season.  Another example would be the pick up of J.A. Happ for a AAAA player in 2015.  So the question is, will the Pittsburgh Pirates go bargain shopping again this offseason?  If so, will it work out like many of the players above?  We will see.