3 players the Pittsburgh Pirates should consider in free agency before Grapefruit League play starts

Kyle Lewis

Kyle Lewis is a younger player who has proven himself by winning Rookie of the Year in 2020. However, in recent years, he has struggled with consistency and injury health. Acquiring him as a free agent would be a steal, considering he only has 3 years of service time on record, meaning he won’t become a free agent until 2027.

At age 28, he has proven himself to have the talent; he just needs to put it all together in a full sample size. I believe that on the Pittsburgh Pirates, possibly starting on a minor league deal with players like Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen around him, they could teach him how to find a spot in this league.

In Triple-A this season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he was on a tear. This could be because he played in the Pacific Coast League, which is known to be very hitter-friendly, but he showed a lot of potential that the Pirates need.

In 63 games, he slugged 17 home runs while knocking in 80 RBIs. However, where he was most successful was his batting average at .371 with an on-base percentage of .457, which you don’t see unless you are playing MLB The Show. He was putting up Barry Bonds-type numbers with an OPS of 1.098, and while he won’t be able to replicate that in the Majors, it shows major promise.

While it was in a shortened season where he won Rookie of the Year, he still shows major promise. He is very good defensively in the outfield, with elite sprint speed and the ability to walk with a decent batting average.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates want to make the playoffs, they need to take risks, Kyle Lewis isn’t risk-free, but he holds so much potential. If Lewis can return to form, you are talking about a player that can earn MVP votes. It would be stupid if they don’t at least offer him a minor league invite with the amount of upside he possesses.