3 moves we still want to see the Pittsburgh Pirates make after the Winter Meetings

Even though the most active point of the offseason is over with the Winter Meetings coming to a conclusion on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offseason checklist still has plenty of things left on it. Sure, the Pirates added some relief pitching in the form of Gregory Soto, but there are still free agents the Pirates need to go after, and trade candidates they should be pursuing. 

We're still hoping the Pirates make these moves after the Winter Meetings.

Sign Jorge Polanco

One of the free agents the Pirates have been heavily connected to this offseason is second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco. It’s not without reason, either. Polanco had one of his best seasons at the plate in 2025, batting .265/.326/.495 with a .350 wOBA and 132 wRC+. Polanco’s 26 home runs are the second most of his career, and his .229 isolated slugging percentage is the second best park he's ever posted. His 8% walk rate was roughly league average, and his 15.6% K% was elite. He was above the 50th percentile of both chase (26.9%) and whiff rate (23.3%) for the first time since 2019.

Polanco did all of this while playing half of his games in baseball’s most pitcher-friendly venue, the Seattle Mariners’ T-Mobile Park. With a 91 park factor, the M's occupy far and away the least hitter-friendly home ballpark; the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field comes in at second place at 97. The Pirates were last in the league in ISO at .119 and home run total with 117. They were the only team to have an ISO below .130 and fewer than 145 home runs. If the Pirates want a legitimate power threat, Polanco is arguably the best on the free agent market.

Sign Ryan O’Hearn

Since breaking out with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, Ryan O’Hearn has consistently been one of baseball’s more under-the-radar hitters. Last year, he batted .281/.366/.437 with a career-best 127 wRC+ over 544 plate appearances. O’Hearn had a solid 20% strikeout percentage and walked at a healthy 10.7% rate. Even if he isn’t a massive power threat, like Polanco or other free agent/trade endeavors the Pirates have dabbled in, O’Hearn is still a quality hitter.

O’Hearn was in the 76th percentile of xwOBA at .343, and ranked in the 58th percentile of xSLG% at .425. His .341 xwOBA dating back to 2023 barely trails the likes of Giancarlo Stanton (.343) and Manny Machado (.342), surpassing Josh Naylor (.337), Alex Bregman (.335), and Teoscar Hernández (.335). His 121 wRC+ also makes him one of 40 batters who have been at least 20% better than average over the last three seasons with at least 1400 plate appearances.

Trade for a middle infielder

The Pirates have been connected to many of the second basemen on the trade market, and landing at least one of them has to be a requirement for the rest of the offseason. The team has been strongly connected to Tampa Bay Rays slugger Brandon Lowe. He turned in a .785 OPS, .334 wOBA, and 114 wRC+ this season. He has always been a big power threat, and 2025 was no exception. He went yard 31 times over 554 plate appearances, with a 75th percentile exit velocity (91.1 MPH) and 81st percentile barrel rate (12.9%). Lowe may not be a strong defender at second base, and he has just one year of control left, but he is another power bat the Pirates need to go after.

Another second baseman they’ve been connected to is Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals. He is about as consistent as a hitter can get. Last year, Donovan hit .287/.353/.422 with a 119 wRC+. He may not have the same sort of power that Lowe has, but he is guaranteed to provide a .280 batting average, an OPS hovering around .780, and a 120-ish wRC+ with a sub-15% K%, paired with an average walk rate. Donovan is primarily a second baseman, but has over 100 career innings at every position on the diamond, save for pitcher and catcher. Donovan has two more years of arbitration control left.

The dream trade acquisition would be Ketel Marte. Marte isn’t just one of the best second basemen in the game, but one of the best players overall. Last year, he hit .283/.376/.517 while going yard 28 times. Marte’s 145 wRC+ is the third-best of his career. The veteran switch-hitter was above the 90th percentile of xwOBA (.390), xBA (.291), and xSLG% (.524). Marte is under control through 2030 as well, so he is a long-term investment. The only roadblock is his no-trade clause, which (as far as the public knows) includes the Pirates and the New York Yankees, along with three other teams. However, this doesn’t mean the Pirates are out of the running for Marte. Many players use their NTC as leverage in trade negotiations, including teams that may want their services, rather than teams they do not want to go to.

While the Pirates haven’t been directly connected to him, CJ Abrams is another quality player the team should be in on. We've covered Abrams plenty of times before, but what you need to know is that he put up a .748 OPS, .324 wOBA, and 107 wRC+ over 635 plate appearances last year. He was ultra-efficient on the base paths, stealing 31 bags and only being caught thrice. Abrams also consistently hits for above-average power, as his .177 ISO is the eighth best among shortstops since 2023 (min. 1000 PA). While his glovework at shortstop has been lackluster, to say the least, he’d be an option for the Pirates at second or third base.

While it would be nice if the Pirates acquired multiple players listed above, the minimum they must do is trade for one. Lowe seems like the most viable option, given what he'll likely cost and how he fits the Pirates' roster. Abrams would be the best long-term investment. Donovan is the most consistent. Marte is the best player.