3 free agents coming off injury-plagued seasons the Pirates should sign

Major League Baseball players are very susceptible to injuries. After all, they are professional athletes who push human bodies to their limits. But these injuries can take a player out for weeks, months, or sometimes even entire seasons. There are certainly a handful of current free agents who are coming off of seasons where they missed a large chunk of time because of injuries, but the Pirates are in no position to let that dissuade them

The Pirates need to start getting active, making choices, and adding talent to improve the major league roster. They also shouldn't shy away from some of these free agents, who, while they missed a good chunk of time in 2024, are still decent players and could help improve the Pirates' MLB roster.

3 injured free agents who'd improve Pirates' 2025 roster

Spencer Turnbull

Spencer Turnbull looked like he was on his way to having a phenomenal 2024 campaign with the Philadelphia Phillies. But at the end of June, Turnbull was diagnosed with a lat strain that was expected to take six to eight weeks to recover from. Ultimately, he never returned to the mound for the Phils.

But when Turnbull was healthy, he was great. He worked as a starter and reliever for the Phillies, starting seven games, making 10 bullpen appearances, and pitching 54.1 innings. Throughout those frames, Turnbull owned a 2.65 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP. Along with a robust bottom line, Turnbull had some quality peripherals.

Turnbull struck out 26.1% of the opponents he faced with a respectable 9% walk rate and 0.99 HR/9. He also was better than your average pitcher at limiting hard contact. The right-hander held opposing hitters to an 87.8 MPH exit velocity (76th percentile), as well as a 7.2% barrel rate (61st percentile).

The only red flag in Turnbull's numbers was his luck. His .233 batting average on balls in play is significantly lower than his career average of .300. However, even with good luck playing a factor, most statistics still view him as an effective arm. xFIP put him at 3.80, while SIERA pinned him at 3.67.

There's no question about Turnbull's ability. Stuff+ had him at 112 last season. If Turnbull returned to that level next year, he'd be quite a good pickup for the Pirates. He can start games and pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen. The Pirates definitely should not turn down an arm with that sort of utility. MLB Trade Rumors currently has Turnbull signing a one-year deal at $7 million, which falls neatly into Pittsburgh's price range.

Tyler O'Neill

Every Pirates fan would love to see Tyler O'Neill in black and gold when spring training rolls around, but it must be noted the slugger has been susceptible to injuries in his career. He played less than 100 games in each of 2022 and 2023, and only played 113 games with 473 at-bats during 2024. Thankfully, O'Neill hit very well when he was healthy enough to step into the batter's box.

Last season with Boston, O’Neill hit .241/.336/.511 with a .360 wOBA, and 131 wRC+. Power is the name of O'Neill's game. He smacked 31 long balls with a .270 isolated slugging percentage. That was the fifth-highest in baseball among players with at least 450 plate appearances, with three of the names ahead of O'Neill being MVP finalists: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto.

O'Neill's power output was so high because he ripped the cover off the ball. His 17.3% barrel rate was also the fifth-best in the game. The same three MVP finalists ranked ahead of O'Neill in this department. O'Neill also drew walks at a career-best 11.6% rate, but that came at the cost of his strikeout rate, something he did about a third of the time (33.6% K%) last season.

O'Neill had an abnormally poor season with the glove. He had +1 defensive run saved, but -4 outs above average. Plus, he recorded a below-average jump at 32.2 feet. Luckily, that's not the norm for O'Neill. He has +25 DRS and +8 OAA for his career; perhaps Fenway Park played a role here. Despite his missteps, O'Neill's powerful arm still deserves plaudits, and he was in the 82nd percentile of average throw speed for position players last year. O'Neill has previously been awarded two Gold Gloves for his efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

O'Neill is easily the highest-profile name on this list, and the Pirates could very much use his bat and glove in an outfield corner next year. MLB Trade Rumors estimates O'Neill will sign a three-year deal worth $42 million ($14 million AAV). It's time for the Pirates to get serious about free agents and adding players, and signing O'Neill, despite his injury-plagued season, would certainly be a statement to that effect.