Pittsburgh Pirates News: Team Signs Two Free Agents

Tuesday morning the Pittsburgh Pirates signed a pair of veterans to free agent contracts to bolster their roster as spring training begins to rev up

To the surprise of fans near and far, the Pittsburgh Pirates have reached out and signed two veteran players who could come in and have a big impact for the team. Left-handed hitting first baseman Daniel Vogelbach and right-handed relief pitcher Heath Hembree both come to the Pirates on one-year deals with major potential impact in their respective departments.

Here’s what those signings could mean, and what areas they could impact for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Vogelbach is a bit of a league journeyman, playing for the likes of the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Milwaukee Brewers. At the young age of 29. Vogelbach has shown glimpses of being an absolute powerhouse at the plate, when he plays a full season with one team.

In 2019, Vogey hit .208/.341/.439 and had a .780 OPS with a very nice 30 Home Runs and 76 RBI. Adding the power element to this Pirate lineup, given he mimics the 2019 season, could open up the plate for guys ahead of him in the lineup and create situations which result in extended offensive innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With Vogelbach’s skill set and history in the league, you can expect to see him in two positions this season. The first to no ones surprise, will be DH. From watching Vogelbach in recent history, you can easily see that he’s not quite a defensive player, and with his size and power potential, DH will be a perfect fit for him on this team. The second place we’ll see him is his true primary position, first base.

Its pretty cut and dry for Vogelbach, solidify first base, make your impact at the plate, and generate runs for a power depleted lineup that happens to be the Pirates.

Alongside the signing of Vogelbach, comes reliever Heath Hembree. Hembree is a 33-year-old relief pitcher who carries a 1.6 career WAR, and 4.19 career ERA. Like with Vogelbach, Hembree has seen his fair share of tenures with teams such as the Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, and Reds. Hembree relies on three pitches to get the job done on the mound, bolstering a four-seamed fastball, a slider, and a curveball. His tenures have been primarily as a middle reliever and setup man, which could be exactly what the Pirates need, and even more what could catapult a guy like David Bednar to baseball stardom.

With this team lacking a true set up man to accommodate Bednar, Hembree can come in and definitely help a weaker Pirate bullpen than we’ve seen over the last few years, so hopefully he comes with the mindset to help this bullpen win games late, and help push to an over .500 record.

These two signings, even though they come at a very low price tag, can absolutely impact this team in a positive way. Let us know your thoughts, and as always, keep up with Rum Bunter for any and all Pirate news!