Pittsburgh Pirates: Pre-Lockout Approach to the Offseason

The Pittsburgh Pirates were on the more active teams before the Lockout was put into place.  So what are they trying to accomplish?

It has been a tough few years or so to be a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Organization has gone under a complete makeover since the Winter of 2019 and there have been a lot of struggles since.  However, this was to be expected, after all the Bucs were not exactly in the best place when Ben Cherington and company took over the Front Office.

It has been hard to see the team move on from a lot of notable veteran players. Moving on from players like Starling Marte, Josh Bell, and Jameson Taillon was like hitting the reset button on a game console, except on the Franchise.  The problem with resetting is that it does not guarantee that things will go right the next time.

Many questioned if this reset of the Pittsburgh Pirates would actually lead to a competitive team or not.  Up until this point they have not been competitive under the new Front Office.  So far under Ben Cherington the team has had the #1 overall pick and will have the #4 overall selection in 2022.  So when will this Front Office determine when it is time to truly start trying to be competitive?

The goal has always been for the team to be competitive starting in 2023.  When this offseason started, many thought the team would start to be more aggressive and start to show the players and the fanbase that it is truly the plan.  The Organization could sign a few veterans that could help in 2022 and beyond.

This does not seem to be the case. It seems that Ben Cherington and his staff may be viewing the 2022 season as another tough, but productive one.  They have operated in a unique fashion, trading away a veteran like Jacob Stallings, but yet signing veterans like Roberto Perez and Jose Quintana.

The Front Office seems to be taking a little more of an aggressive approach to this offseason than the past few.  Bringing in proven veterans like Perez and Quintana are signs that this team is not looking to take a step back.  In years past, the team brought in more “minor league free agent” or just lesser-known type players like Derek Holland, John Ryan Murphy Wilmer Difo, and Tyler Anderson.

Now both Perez and Quintana were brought in on Major League deals but they were also just for one year each. These deals could help the team out in several ways.  Obviously, these are veteran players who should come in and help this team win more games and maybe even help the development of some of the younger players.

Also, if the team is out of contention by July they could decide to trade both players.  Teams are always looking for rental pitching and catching help at the deadline. This is not preferred, but a one-year contract does give the Front Office the option.  Realistically speaking neither will be here long term.  Perez is 33 and falls into the category of why the team was open to dealing Jacob Stallings.  Quintana has been somewhat of a journeyman in his career and Pittsburgh is likely just a quick stop to help boost his stock for the next offseason.

The Front Office seems to be operating differently than they have the past few years. They could have easily brought in minor league veterans to fill out open spots like in years past, instead, they brought in two legitimate veterans. While the team did trade away Jacob Stallings they brought back a pitcher who will be a part of this team in 2022.