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The Pittsburgh Pirates' only Major League free agent signings to date this offseason are Andrew McCutchen and Elvis Alvarado. Clearly, they have some more work to do; but the good news is that there are still plenty of talented players available on the free agent market.
Sadly – but not surprisingly – former MLB general manager Jim Bowden doesn't project Pittsburgh to be the most likely landing spot for any of them. In his predictions for the top 15 remaining free agents at The Athletic (subscription required), Bowden only mentioned the Pirates in passing as one of several possible secondary landing spots for a pair of free agents. if his original predictions don't pan out.
The free agents in question are outfielder Alex Verdugo and designated hitter Justin Turner, who rank 14th and 15th on the list, respectively. The Pirates, Bowden says, are one of several teams that could make a "depth play" for Verdugo if he doesn't land with the San Diego Padres, as well as a "logical fit" for Turner if he doesn't re-sign with the Seattle Mariners.
Jim Bowden's free agency predictions have Pirates as secondary options for Justin Turner, Alex Verdugo
As far as Bowden's suggested fits for the Pirates, let's start with the utterly ridiculous one. Turner does not even remotely make sense for Pittsburgh, considering he's 40 years old and is primarily a designated hitter at this point in his career. The Pirates just re-signed McCutchen to fill that role in 2025; they don't need another one of him.
Even if the Pirates were to deploy Turner as a platoon at first base with Spencer Horwitz, he only appeared in 43 games at the position last season, and Pittsburgh has internal options in Billy Cook and (potentially) Bryan Reynolds that negate the need for another part-time infielder.
Verdugo at least makes sense for the Pirates, who need a right fielder in the worst way. Their internal options at the position are Joshua Palacios and Jack Suwinski, and Verdugo would be a marked upgrade over either. That said, he is coming off the worst season of his career in 2024 with the New York Yankees, slashing .233/.291/.356 with just 13 home runs in 149 games.
Despite his subpar 2024 season, Verdugo is still reportedly drawing interest from contenders like the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, the latter of which have yet to spend a single dime in free agency this offseason. If that is indeed the case, the 29-year-old is almost certain to sign somewhere other than Pittsburgh in 2025; the Pirates aren't winning a bidding war with anyone.
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