Pirates let an obvious answer to their offensive woes slip away

When one door closes, another opens. Unless you're the Pittsburgh Pirates.

For Ben Cherington's team, the reverse is true. When one door opens, another always seems to close.

On one hand, you have a rebuilt bullpen finally dominating, pitching to a sub-two ERA since the trade deadline. On the other, you have a once-potent offense limping through August; the Buccos have averaged just 3.4 runs per game over their past seven contests, and it's just 2.5 if you take away their outlier performance in a 9-0 victory over the Mets this past weekend.

Much of that is due to their team-wide struggles against left-handed pitching. With rookie sensation Esmerlyn Valdez mired in a deep slump — he has just one hit in his last 38 plate appearances — the Pirates haven't been able to offer any resistance against southpaws this summer.

So, what did Cherington and the front office do when Austin Hays, a guy who had made a living on mashing lefties, became available in free agency? They watched him sign with the San Diego Padres on a prorated minimum contract.

Pirates may come to regret letting Austin Hays slip through their fingers

In fairness to the Pirates front office, it's not like Hays was having a banner season prior to being let go by the Chicago White Sox. Slowed down by hamstring and calf strains, he produced a meager 50 wRC+ in just 44 plate appearances with the Southsiders this season.

Then again, he's got a long track record of above-average production when healthy; he's hit lefties to the tune of a .283/.340/.481 (125 wRC+) mark for his career. As fate would have it, in his very first at-bat with the Padres, he took left-handed reliever Bryan King deep for his second home run of the year.

Now, because the White Sox are paying out the rest of his salary this season, money wasn't a factor here. It's possible that Cherington did make an offer and Hays simply preferred to land with the Friars, favoring their playoff chances in the NL Wild Card race (or the San Diego weather).

Still, Hays is in value rebuilding mode after his disastrous stint on the South Side of Chicago, and the Padres, at best, will be able to offer him a platoon gig in left field next to Luis Rengifo. The Pirates could have offered at least that role and more, with a path to significant playing time in right field if Valdez's struggles ultimately warrant a demotion back to Triple-A.

Alas, the veteran has slipped through their fingers and is no longer an option on the table. How the Pirates choose to pivot, if they do at all, could define their quest for a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2015.

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