Pirates’ free-agent market dries up further after Padres land infield target

There are loud misses, and then there are the quiet ones that sting because of how sensible they were. The Pittsburgh Pirates' whiff on Miguel Andújar was the latter.

For a club still searching for answers at third base, Andújar was the definition of a low-drama, high-utility solution. A one-year deal with corner infield coverage, corner outfield insurance, and a bat that doesn’t crater the lineup if Plan A or Plan B goes sideways? It made too much sense.

But alas, Andújar is headed west. He agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, with another $2 million available in performance bonuses. It’s a modest investment for San Diego — and one the Pirates easily could have matched or beaten.

Pirates' remaining options at third base are slim after Miguel Andújar signs with Padres

Andújar isn’t a star, and no one was pretending he was. But he was a stabilizer. A veteran who can give you competent innings at third base, slide into left or right field, rotate on off days, and prevent the roster from unraveling the moment an acquisition falters or an injury pops up.

Last season, Andújar quietly hit .318 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs between the Athletics and the Cincinnati. Over nine big-league seasons, he’s a .282 hitter with real contact skills — the kind that plays when things get messy in August. He knows how to be a complementary piece. He doesn’t need 600 plate appearances to justify his presence on the roster.

The Pirates’ free-agent board is thinning by the day, especially at third base. Each modest, sensible option that comes off the market tightens the funnel toward riskier bets — trades that cost prospects, internal solutions that may not be ready, or patchwork platoons that leave no margin for error.

When the Pirates miss on a headline name like Framber Valdez, it’s frustrating but expected. When they miss on the simplest option — the one-year glue guy who keeps the roster upright — it underscores how narrow the organization’s operational window has become.

The Pirates didn't need Andújar to be a savior. They just needed him to be a useful, affordable piece. And now they’ll need to find help somewhere else — with fewer options, less flexibility, and even less room for mistakes.