Pittsburgh Pirates: Team Should Approach Cruz on Extension

The Pittsburgh Pirates called up one of their top prospects for the final two games of the 2021 season. They should approach him for an extension this offseason.

Oneil Cruz has been one of the more intriguing Pittsburgh Pirates prospects since he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tony Watson.  The 6’8″ shortstop has tremendous speed and power and overall tools. However, it’s not clear what position he’ll play. After being called up by the Pirates, he played shortstop, which would be a huge boost. Some folks have suggested center field because of his speed and others right field.

Regardless of position, the Pittsburgh Pirates should approach Oneil Cruz about an extension and avoid super two.  Cruz is a top prospect not only in the Pirates organization but also baseball and signing him to a deal to avoid him being a super two player, like Bryan Reynolds, will provide the Pirates with flexibility.

We’ve seen the Pirates do this in the past with Jose Tabata, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.  It’s been reported they approached Ke’Bryan Hayes with an extension before his Major League debut.  The club will likely reach out to Reynolds for an extension this winter.  So why not do the same for Cruz?  By locking down Cruz now, the Pirates will have a known cost for years and also get years of control, most likely by team option.

One obstacle is the upcoming CBA.  There will probably be changes to service time and when players are eligible for free agency.  This will put a hold on most offseason activity, which will include Cruz talks. However, if free agency and years of control are changed, the Pirates should have more incentive to extend Cruz to a deal and secure him for the long haul.

With the Pittsburgh Pirates in rebuild mode, it would be nice to see them extend Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes, but they should also reach out to Oneil Cruz.  He is one of the top prospects in baseball and having him secured as the team looks to compete would be a big step, while also being a positive sign for the fans.