3 roster moves that would immediately improve the Pirates’ offense

If you’ve been watching any of the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, you know that their offense is struggling, and that’s putting it lightly. There has been some bad luck at hand, but there’s still plenty of dead weight the Pirates can cut in favor of better options with much more potential. The Pirates shouldn’t let this get out of hand. They should make some moves as soon as possible, and these three roster decisions are ones they could make right now to improve the line-up.

3 roster decisions Pirates can make immediately to improve offense

Option Enmanuel Valdez, recall Nick Yorke

When Nick Gonzales hit the injured list, the first player the Pirates recalled was Enmanuel Valdez. The infielder was acquired from the Boston Red Sox this past winter, but has done very little since his promotion. In his first 10 games and 29 plate appearances, he’s collected just four hits, three of which have gone for extra bases, while also piling up eight strikeouts and only two walks. He posted as many total bases as K’s in that time.

Valdez has flashed decent raw power. The infielder has a career 88.8 MPH exit velocity and 9.4% barrel percentage, both of which are above average. But Valdez’s raw power is about his only tool that is better than average. His 23.2% whiff rate and 28.7% chase rate are both roughly average. Valdez has consistently sat below the 30th percentile of sprint speed. His defense has also graded out as extremely poor. Valdez had -11 defensive runs saved and -12 outs above average at second base in less than 1000 innings (824.2, to be exact) heading into this season.

If the Pirates want a batter who has potential and way more upside, then they need to replace Valdez with Nick Yorke. Yorke was one of the Pirates’ biggest trade deadline additions last season, as the Bucs acquired the former first -ound pick from the Boston Red Sox. Yorke hit very well for the Sox and Pirates’ Triple-A teams, with a .918 OPS, .409 wOBA, and 143 wRC+ across 344 plate appearances. 

When the Pirates called up Yorke in September, he flashed a ton of potential. He only had eight hits, but two were home runs. Yorke drew four walks and had a chase rate of only 24.4%. His batted ball data was also strong, with an 89.7 MPH exit velo and a 15.4% barrel rate, but he did strike out a dozen times and had a whiff rate of just over 30% at 31.7%. However, this wasn’t a problem in the minor leagues.

Yorke has displayed plus speed, and was in the 90th percentile of sprint speed in the Major Leagues during his limited stint. He has also shown he has versatility. Second base is his primary position, but he received playing time at third base, shortstop, all three outfield positions, and saw a few games at first base in spring training.

If Gonzales is going to be out for a while, then Yorke should be his replacement until further notice. Valdez’s only strong suit (power potential) isn’t even that far ahead of Yorke to be considered that big of an advantage. Yorke has plenty more speed, defense, versatility, the potential to hit for more average, and power.

Pirates should DFA Alexander Canario, recall Billy Cook

Alexander Canario was acquired at the very start of the season after the New York Mets designated him for assignment. Formerly a top prospect and the headliner in the deal that originally sent Kris Bryant to the San Francisco Giants, Canario batted .243/.336/.514 with a 116 wRC+ across 243 plate appearances for the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. He also smacked 18 home runs and drew walks at an 11.3% pace.

However, while there were certainly positives to his season, there were also some major negatives. He struck out 30.4% of the time with a whiff rate of 37.5%. Since the Pirates acquired Canario, swinging and missing has still been a huge issue. He may only have four strikeouts in his first 22 plate appearances, but carries a whiff rate of 37.1%. Overall, he only has two hits, one of which was a home run, along with a trio of walks.

Needless to say, he should be replaced with Billy Cook on the active roster. Last season, Cook was also a trade deadline acquisition, but from the Baltimore Orioles. He turned in some quality numbers between the O’s and Bucs’ minor league teams last year, combining for a .849 OPS, .377 wOBA, and 124 wRC+. He hit particularly well when the summer started, with an OPS approaching .900 at .898 and a wOBA just under .400 at .392 from the start of June until he was promoted to the Major Leagues.

Cook’s late-season promotion did not go over very well. It was only 16 games and 49 plate appearances, but the outfielder/first baseman only had 11 hits and struck out 19 times. Cook swung and missed 39.8% of the time and swung at pitches outside the zone at a 36.9% rate. But while Cook struggled for the most part, it wasn’t an entirely poor showing. He still had three home runs with a 92.6 MPH exit velocity and 13.3% barrel percentage. However, his power isn’t his only above-average attribute on the diamond. 

Cook is exceptionally fast. He was in the 93rd percentile of sprint speed last season at 29.3 feet/second. He also looked like a spectacular defender in his late-season call-up, and the defensive metrics support that assessment. Cook played less than 100 innings between the three outfield positions. He had +6 defensive runs saved, +6 fielding runs, and +2 outs above average. Only nine players in baseball history have had +6 fielding runs in less than 20 games played.

The only advantages Canario has over Cook are his switch-hitting capability and his selectivity at the plate, whereas Cook only hits right-handed and didn’t draw a single walk in his brief Major League encounter last season. The Pirates need help at first base, and Cook is an excellent outfield defender. If they’re going to give Canario playing time semi-regularly, then it should be going to Cook right now.

Pirates need to DFA Adam Frazier

At this rate, the Pirates are going to get the best and worst parts of Adam Frazier’s career. From 2016 through the trade deadline in 2021, Frazier enjoyed a very solid tenure with the Pirates. He slashed .283/.346/.420 with a .330 wOBA and 104 wRC+. He had a subpar 7.6% walk rate and a .136 isolated slugging percentage but only struck out in 13.1% of his trips to the dish. He was a decent leadoff man for the Pirates for multiple years, as he got hits and reached base at a respectable rate.

But Frazier’s offense quickly declined after the Pirates traded him. He hit just .236/.301/.336 with a .282 wOBA and 82 wRC+ with the Padres, Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals in the years that followed. Although Frazier still only struck out 14.3% of the time, his walk rate only sat at 7.2%, but he was no longer hitting for contact the same way he was with the Pirates. His offense took a large hit in 2024, with just a .579 OPS, .261 wOBA, and 63 wRC+ for the Royals.

So far this year, Frazier only has seven hits in 48 plate appearances. He’s only drawn a pair of walks and has struck out nine times. He’s yet to barrel up a ball, either. Frazier was never known for his power, but his exit velocity has fallen below 85 MPH in 2024 and 2025.

Look, Frazier is a fan favorite and was a fun player to watch in his prime. He was a good hitter at one point, but hasn’t been since the Pirates traded him in 2021. He’s well on his way to another poor campaign.

The Pirates likely won't make a move like this until they get some players off the IL. They currently have Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, and Spencer Horwitz awaiting healthier days. But once they get some of those players back, Frazier should be out the door. If the Pirates are so concerned about having a left-handed utility infielder they can put on the bench, then keep Tsung-Che Cheng around. He is 10 years younger than Frazier, is a good defender, and is much faster at this point than Frazier is.