3 former All-Stars Pirates can sign on a budget for 2025 season

Although spring training games begin on Saturday for the Pirates, they could still make some moves with some of the free agents still available. Their roster could definitely still be modified moving forward, and there are still some former All-Stars looking for a new home.

Ben Cherington has not handed out a multi-year deal yet during his tenure in Pittsburgh, and that likely will not change before the 2025 season. That being said, there are three veterans looking for a one-year deal that the Pirates could justify signing before the season, given their potential impacts on the team and the roles they'd play.

The Pirates should consider signing these three former All-Stars before it's too late.

Jose Iglesias

The shortstop position for the Pirates is interesting at the moment. Isiah Kiner-Falefa appears to be the starter after moving Oneil Cruz to center field, but his bat is a major question mark. Additionally, Kiner-Falefa is widely known for his outstanding glove, yet his OAA at shortstop was -2 in 2024. So is sketching him in as the starter a great idea?

Instead of going out with him, why not try out Jose Iglesias, a guy coming off a fantastic season with the Mets who would be a perfect add for a reasonable price? He batted .337 with a 137 wRC+ and an OPS of .830. He struck out at a low 13.4% clip, and was an above-average defender at second base, too. Now that position won't help the Pirates now, but shortstop has been his primary position his whole career, where he has an OAA of 30.

Doing this would push Kiner-Falefa to a utility role, which is exactly where he should be. The reunion possibility with the Mets seems to be shaky, too, so maybe this works out for the Pirates

David Robertston

David Robertston is surprisingly still unsigned and remains a free agent over a week into spring training. Since he has not come to an agreement with anyone, maybe the Pirates should get him aboard for a cheap one-year deal to solidify the bullpen?

The bullpen, overall, is not as bad as fans think, and adding another high leverage arm would just make it stronger. Last season with the Rangers, Robertson posted an ERA of 3.00 with a FIP of 2.65 and a WHIP of 1.11. Opponents batted .201 against him, and he struck batters out at a 33.4% clip. Maybe he gets a deal similar to the one Aroldis Chapman landed last season, but at this point, it seems like it could be even cheaper.

Whit Merrifield

A guy that might have been a better addition from Adam Frazier is Whit Merrifield. Although he is not the player he once was, he may still be an upgrade from Frazier. Merrifield's performance with Atlanta last season was truly not bad, so maybe he could be a decent second baseman, pushing Nick Gonzales to shortstop.

Last season with Atlanta, Merrifield put together a wRC+ of 97 with an OPS of .684. He only played in 42 games with them and made a slight impact. With the Phillies, he did not hit well at all, but stole 11 bases and struck out at a low 10.9% clip. He would likely be the cheapest player on this list, so maybe he is also the most realistic fit. His defense would not be a bad addition to the team.