3 potential free agents with option decisions the Pittsburgh Pirates must monitor

The 2025-2026 MLB free agent class could expand in the coming weeks. Many teams and players have options to either return to their organization for another season or test the open waters. This could mean the Pittsburgh Pirates will have even more options to consider when the offseason opens.

While the Pirates obviously won’t be big spenders, they could find some bargains after players opt out of their current deals, or teams buy out players they don’t feel are worth the opt-in price.

3 potential free agents whose contract options can lead them to Pittsburgh Pirates

Ha-Seong Kim

The Pirates could use a holdover at shortstop until Konnor Griffin is ready, as well as a better option at second base than Nick Gonzales. Ha-Seong Kim could be just that. The South Korean infielder ended his tenure in San Diego with three excellent seasons, where he hit .250/.336/.385 with a 106 wRC+. On top of that, he provided plus defense at second base, third base, and shortstop.

However, Kim entered free agency on a sour note. His 2024 season was cut short due to shoulder inflammation, and he later underwent labrum surgery. He was projected to miss the first few weeks of the 2025 season, which led to a one-year guarantee with the Tampa Bay Rays. However, Kim didn't return to action until July 4, and slashed just .214/.290/.321 with a 73 wRC+ with the Rays. 

The Rays then put Kim on waivers at the end of August, and the Atlanta Braves claimed him. His .253/.316/.368 triple-slash and 91 wRC+ in 98 plate appearances was an improvement over what he did with the Rays, but still a far cry from the production he was putting up in San Diego.

Kim now has a $16 million decision on his hands. He is coming off his worst season as a pro ball player and just turned 30. He’ll likely not get $16 million for 2026 if he opts out and tests free agency. However, he may be able to get more over a multi-year deal. He’ll be a year removed from shoulder issues, which could play in his favor. This could be the opportunity for the Pirates to buy low on a player who has a solid track record and solidify their middle infield.

Jonathan Loaisiga

Jonathan Loaisiga has been a stalwart on the New York Yankees’ depth chart since making his debut in 2018. The right-hander has consistently flashed high-end potential as a reliever, but has constantly been set back by injuries. Last offseason, the Yankees signed him to a one-year extension with a team option for 2026 worth $5 million, but a corresponding buyout worth $250K. It will now soon be time for the Yankees to make their decision on Loaisiga.

Loaisiga’s 2025 performance definitely makes it look like he’s guaranteed to be bought out. The right-hander only pitched 29.2 innings while working to a 4.25 ERA, 5.83 FIP, and 1.48 WHIP. While he only had a 7.4% walk rate, Loaisiga struck out just 18.5% of opponents while allowing 2.12 home runs per nine innings on average. On top of that, Loaisiga continued to battle injuries, first running into back tightness before succumbing toa flexor strain in late August that eliminated him for the rest of the year. It was a frustrating season packed with high-contact regression.

At first glance, this all makes Loaisiga’s club buyout seem like an automatic answer, but there are plenty of reasons why that may not be the case. Loaisiga’s HR/9 is not sustainable. He had an 86.6 MPH exit velocity and a 6.2% barrel rate, both of which are well above average. His HR:FB ratio was 25.2%, which likely won’t hold up over a larger sample size, especially given how good he was at limiting hard contact. Despite the countless injuries, he still put up a 114 Stuff+. That is a step back from his 123 career mark, but still well above average nonetheless. For only $5 million, it’s a relatively low-risk/high-reward investment.

But the injury history is still something that may deter the Yankees from picking up his option, especially given the way they like to allocate funds. He has only tossed 50.1 innings over the last three seasons and has pitched more than 60 frames in a season just once, which was in 2021. If the Yankees decide to let Loaisiga walk, the Pirates should consider picking him up on a low-cost deal with the hopes he can live up to his potential and stay healthy.

Randal Grichuk

Randal Grichuk had a down year after a career-best season in 2024 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He re-upped with the Snakes for 2025 and put up slightly below league-average production, hitting .240/.277/.457 with a .308 wOBA and 96 wRC+. He continued to hit for good power, with seven home runs and a .217 ISO through 188 plate appearances, but only walked 5.7% of the time. However, his production was still good enough for the Kansas City Royals to trade for him at the deadline.

However, Grichuk’s already below-average production dipped even further from that point forward. Over his final 105 trips to the plate in 2025, he hit .206/.267/.299 with a wRC+ of just 56. He only saw a slight uptick in walk rate to 6.7%, while his power output saw a sharp decline, with an isolated slugging percentage below .100 (coming in at .093).

So why would a team that just had a historically bad season at the plate sign an outfielder who had a career-worst year in his age-33 season? The numbers under the hood for Grichuk are far more promising. He had a .338 xwOBA that was above average, and had the eighth-largest gap between his xwOBA and wOBA among batters with 250+ plate appearances. Grichuk was also well regarded in the eyes of both xBA at .269 and xSLG% at .475. His raw power was also still good, as his 92.4 MPH exit velocity was the tenth-best among MLB outfielders with 250+ PAs. Plus, his barrel rate of 11.7% was his highest mark since his 2018 season (not including 2020).

The Pirates wouldn’t be signing Grichuk for his defense. While he wasn’t a poor defender, he was merely passable, with -2 defensive runs saved and -2 outs above average. He was still in the 77th percentile of arm strength and was about average in terms of route running, albeit lacking on jumps on flyballs.

Grichuk is almost certainly going to see free agency. The Royals hold a $5 million mutual option, the kind of deal that rarely gets accepted. That means he’s destined to receive a $3 million buyout and head back into free agency. The Pirates need power, and Grichuk has consistently been a threat to put up above-average power numbers every year, even in down seasons.