Ex-MLB GM's Pirates free agency fit could lead to infield shakeup

If the Pirates want to be competitive in 2026, they need to attack the free agent market for bats. That attack cannot be the typical Tommy Pham-type signing, either. Pittsburgh needs to get creative to make a competitive roster with the financial constraints they have.

Thinking outside the box, the Pirates could examine what Jim Bowden suggested for Pittsburgh, and doing so would really shake things up.

Bowden labeled the Pirates as one of four best team fits for Ryan O'Hearn. One might see the name and think ... another first baseman? An offseason after acquiring Spencer Horwitz? Why would the Pirates possibly consider bringing in another one, given their capped budget?

Jim Bowden marks the Pirates as one of the best fits for Ryan O'Hearn and that could lead to an interesting roster shuffle.

At first glance, it really doesn't seem like a great fit, aside from maybe moving O'Hearn to the DH roleinstead of Andrew McCutchen. While that could work, Bryan Reynolds seems more likely to move to that position. So, to accommodate the left-handed stick of O'Hearn, who's coming off an .803 OPS season, the Pirates would move Horwitz to second base.

Horwitz split half his innings in 2024 at second base with Toronto, posting a firmly average OAA of 0. He played just six innings there for the Pirates in 2025. At first base, he put up an OAA of one in Pittsburgh, while O'Hearn posted an OAA of six at the position last season. That would represent a significant boost defensively, so it would be incumbent upon the Pirates to find a way to have solid defense with both Horwitz and O'Hearn on the right side.

Now that leaves Nick Gonzales without a chair. What do you do with him? Shift him over a position as well, placing him at shortstop. While he did have an OAA of three at second base, he also added two from shortstop in limited time last season. His bat was below average in 2025, and he posted a wRC+ of 82. His advanced metrics aren't great either, so he can be the bridge at shortstop for Konnor Griffin, who might usurp him soon.

These position changes make plenty of sense just to get O'Hearn in the lineup. It's not like the defense would be getting significantly worse, either. O'Hearn would quickly become the best hitter in this lineup, and signing him to a contract worth around $8-$10 million a year for two or three seasons would be great ... not too expensive, yet team-changing. Bowden might be onto something that Cherington should really examine.