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Another free agent outfielder came off the board this week in free agency, as Michael Conforto agreed to a one-year, $17 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Conforto was one of a handful of free agent bats who had been linked to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but let's be honest; he was always going to be a long shot for Pittsburgh, and that was when MLB Trade Rumors projected him to land a contract half the size of the one he signed with the Dodgers.
Conforto slashed .237/.309/.450 in 488 plate appearances across 130 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2024. Sadly, that would have made him a top-three hitter in the Pirates' batting order β though that says more about the Pirates than it does about him. Conforto wouldn't have been an altogether bad choice, but the $9 million per year he was projected to earn would have been an overpay for a just-okay bat (which makes $17 million absolutely ridiculous).
Pirates fans are oddly upset over Dodgers' Michael Conforto signing
Plenty of Pirates fans were righteously indignant upon learning that their team had missed out on a very average free agent outfielder whom they had initially thought had a realistic chance of signing in Pittsburgh. Objectively, though, Conforto isn't the caliber of player worth getting that upset over.
Tyler OβNeill & Michael Conforto are now off the board. Whatβs next for the Pirates?
β πππ (@NorthShoreNine) December 9, 2024
π§https://t.co/UbfiF04qSt
πΊhttps://t.co/EYZTN4oSfP
Use Promo Code NS9 for 30% off your first order from @TeamGritily pic.twitter.com/EXkGSTPI5s
Perhaps Pirates fans aren't as upset about losing out on Conforto as they are dissatisfied with their remaining options on the free agent market. Maybe they hoped Pittsburgh would aim higher than mid- to low-tier outfielders like Jesse Winker, Max Kepler and the like.
Maybe, just maybe, fans are merely coming to grips with the reality that the Pirates' way of doing things β skimping in free agency and hoping to hit big on random prospects β simply does not work in today's MLB.
Conforto would have made a fine addition to the Pirates' roster, but he's frankly not good enough to be Pittsburgh's marquee free agent signing; and at that price tag (or even half of that price tag), that's what he would have been. And therein lies the problem.
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