4 outside-the-box free agent options to creatively fix Pirates' first base hole

Travis d’Arnaud

Travis d’Arnaud (not to be confused with his brother and former Pirates utility man Chase d’Arnaud) is coming off a successful five-season stint with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves recently turned down their end of an $8 million team option, letting the catcher walk into free agency. But d’Arnaud might be able to find regular work if he was willing to play some first base for the Pirates.

The under-appreciated d’Arnaud batted .238/.302/.436 this season with a .319 wOBA, and 105 wRC+. His 26.1% K% was the worst he’s put up in a full season, and his 7% walk rate was not out of the ordinary, given his career average BB% of 7.2%. d’Arnaud has always shown off some pop and blasted 15 home runs in 341 plate appearances while owning a .199 isolated slugging percentage.

d’Arnaud’s numbers under the hood are also solid. He has an above-average .323 xwOBA (55th percentile), as well as a .438 xSLG% (67th percentile). d’Arnaud has no problems making solid contact. His 89.9 MPH exit velo ranked in the 64th percentile, while his 10.4% barrel rate was among the 71st percentile of batters in 2024.

d’Arnaud has consistently graded out as a solid framer behind the dish, with +62.3 framing runs dating back to his debut in 2013. He typically hasn't had too much trouble with blocking. Defensive runs saved, however, do not paint him in a positive light at -21. This year, he had -6 DRS, but it represented by far his worst season when it came to framing. At -0.8 framing runs, it was the first time in any season he graded out as a below-average pitch framer.

The Pirates don’t need a catcher, with some even suggesting they should consider moving one of their young backstops this offseason. Luckily, d’Arnaud has some experience at first base. He logged 147 innings at the corner infield position in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Rays. His defense was playable, albeit unspectacular in the small sample size.

d’Arnaud might not find an easy path to playing time behind the dish by returning to the Atlanta Braves, given they have Sean Murphy. He also turns 36 in February and is coming off one of, if not his worst season with the glove yet. He’d definitely find regular playing time if he were willing to spend more time at first base. 

Joc Pederson

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed veteran designated hitter/outfielder Joc Pederson after a solid run with the San Francisco Giants. He only signed for $9.5 million, but he gave the Snakes a huge bargain. In 449 plate appearances, Pederson hit .275/.393/.515. Pederson went yard 23 times with a .240 isolated slugging percentage. His 12.2% walk rate is the best he’s put up since his sophomore 2016 season, while his 12.5% barrel rate is the second-best of his career. Pederson struck out at a less-than-stellar 23.4% rate, but all told, he had a .391 wOBA and 151 wRC+.

Pederson’s underlying numbers were also elite. He was in the 90th percentile or better in xwOBA (.381) and xSLG% (.491), as well as average exit velocity at 92.3 MPH. He fell just short of the 90th percentile in barrel rate, sitting in the 87th percentile. Pederson was also in the 78th percentile of xBA at .268.

Pederson’s numbers are great, but his profile comes with a caveat: almost all of his plate appearances were against right-handed pitchers. Only 42 of his 449 total trips to the dish were against opposite-handed pitching. For what it’s worth, he did draw seven walks and had two extra-base hits in the few times he was allowed to face a lefty, though that isn’t the norm for him, given his .630 OPS against lefties throughout his career.

Pederson only played designated hitter this year for the D-Backs. He hasn’t played the field since 2023 and hasn’t played it regularly since 2022. Pederson started his career out as an outfielder, but saw his defense and range quickly fall during the 2020s.

Pederson has some limited experience at first base. He has 154 innings at the position and hasn’t played the position very well when he has been given a shot, with -6 DRS in that small sample size. Nearly all of those innings originate from 2019 when the LA Dodgers tried him out at the position. He logged a single inning at 1B with the Chicago Cubs in 2021 and four more in 2023 with the San Francisco Giants.

The slugger’s limited work at first base is a bit worrying, but Pederson was not given a good shot at learning the position. The Dodgers gave him time at first base during the middle of the 2019 season. Letting him get the proper work in during spring training would give him a fair shot to learn the position, and potentially play it at a decent level.

Anthony Santander

Many Pirates fans would likely revel in the idea of bringing in Anthony Santander as the team’s next right fielder. That would be a huge boost to the team, especially in the lineup. Maybe, though, the Pirates should bring Santander in not just as a corner outfielder, but as someone who could play first base as well.

The switch-hitting Santander had his best season of his career in 2024. He is coming off a 44 home run campaign where he batted .235/.308/.506 with a .345 wOBA, and 129 wRC+. Santander had a .271 ISO and walked at a career-best 8.7% rate. He also struck out less than 20% of the time with a 19.4% K%. 

While his surface numbers were good, the metrics under the hood weren’t quite as bullish on him. Santander still had an above average .456 xSLG%, .328 xwOBA, and 11.7% barrel rate. These numbers might not reflect a player who just hit 44 home runs, but they are far from bad. After all, Santander has a career .469 slugging percentage, .330 wOBA, and 9.9% barrel rate.

Santander’s defense in the outfield has not been good, though. Since the start of 2021, the slugger has just -12 DRS and -13 OAA. He also has a below-average jump, according to Baseball Savant. The Orioles attempted to give Santander some playing time at first base in 2023. He logged 72 innings at the position and looked decent. By contrast, he only saw a single frame at first base in 2024. For what it's worth, Santander had +1 DRS and OAA at 1B in '23.

Santander could help fill in two positions needed by the Pirates: an outfield corner and first base, all while bringing a potential 30+ homer bat to the Pirates’ lineup. Santander’s below-average outfield defense may eventually cause him to move to first base long-term, so getting him some reps next year could help alleviate some of his defensive woes in the outfield.