Pirates flagged as possible landing spot for pair of Dodgers World Series heroes

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has already said he plans to weaponize the club's depth at certain positions on the trade market this offseason, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of signing a player or two in free agency to improve the roster for next season.

In fact, some MLB writers have already acknowledged the Pirates as possible landing spots for not one, but two big-name free agents who were recently crowned World Series champions with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In a recent column ranking the top 10 landing spots for Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller listed the Pirates at No. 10. Spotrac projects Buehler's market value to be $3.9 million in 2025 – which the Pirates can easily afford – but that is largely due to the fact that he was sidelined for nearly full two years with injuries and has struggled ever since his return to the mound in May. Still, Buehler was a bonafide ace before his injuries, which could drive his price higher – potentially as high as $13 million.

Most teams wouldn't even blink at that number, but the Pirates have only committed $11 million or more to a single free agent three previous times in franchise history. Miller noted the Pirates' tendency in recent years to sign free agents to "semi-noteworthy one-year contracts" in the past three winters, including Jose Quintana, Rich Hill, Carlos Santana, Martín Pérez and Aroldis Chapman, and Buehler could potentially fit into that category if Pittsburgh were to sign him to a one-year deal.

As Miller points out, whether the Pirates view Buehler as an option will depend largely on how they plan to deploy some of their top pitching prospects in 2025. Braxton Ashcraft, Thomas Harrington and Bubba Chandler are all options to make their MLB debuts for the Pirates at some point in 2025, but Pittsburgh could theoretically bring in Buehler to buy the trio of prospects some time if it's determined that they need more time at Triple-A.

Pirates flagged as possible landing spot for Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández

The Pirates also desperately need a bat (or several), and Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly also ranks them as a top-three landing spot for Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández.

Hernández would certainly be an upgrade for the Pirates in right field over their biggest trade deadline dud in Bryan De La Cruz, who is now a non-tender candidate. Kelly points out that Hernández could also potentially shift to a DH role once Andrew McCutchen presumably retires in the next couple of years.

For the Pirates, Hernández is an obvious fit. As with Buehler, the potential hangup for the Pirates will be the price. Hernández is coming off a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers after he was projected to land a larger deal with more term.

Both Hernández and Buehler are intriguing options and would instantly make this Pirates team better. It all depends, though, on how much Bob Nutting is willing to spend; and history tells us not to get our hopes up.

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