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If there is any sense of urgency in the Pittsburgh Pirates' front office to improve the roster this offseason, we certainly haven't seen it. Other than addressing the hole at first base (sort of) by trading for Spencer Horwitz and re-signing Andrew McCutchen to the same one-year, $5 million contract he's had in each of the last two seasons, general manager Ben Cherington and company have been awfully quiet on the trade and free agent markets this winter.
While seasoned Pirates fans aren't the least bit surprised by the deafening silence coming from 115 Federal Street, other MLB experts seem to think that Cherington still has some tricks up his sleeve. In ESPN's latest MLB power rankings based on a combination of the moves teams have (or haven't) made so far this offseason, as well as what we already knew about them from 2024, insider Buster Olney hypothesized that the Pirates' patience in free agency might actually pay off in the long run.
"Executives and agents have noted the enormous remaining pool of unsigned free agents as teams wait for contract prices to drop on the second- and third-tier players," Olney wrote. "Think of it as the after-Christmas bargains. This could be where Pittsburgh does some shopping."
ESPN insider has bullish prediction for Pirates' patience in free agency, but fans don't buy it
Anyone who mentions "Pirates" and "shopping" in the same breath clearly isn't familiar with Cherington's work; but for the sake of argument, let's say Olney is right, and the Pirates do start making some noise on the free agent market. Priority number one needs to be addressing the hole in right field, preferably with an impact bat that can level up Pittsburgh's power-hungry lineup. The Pirates also need to add at least one more southpaw to their bullpen, as they currently only have one (Joey Wentz) on their roster.
Referring to the Pirates' passivity as "patience" is certainly a positive spin on their free agency approach. Thrifting, bargain hunting, dumpster diving – call it whatever you want, but Pittsburgh needs to start doing it, and soon.
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