3 upcoming free agents the Pittsburgh Pirates should retain

The Pirates have three players who will hit free agency at the end of the season, but they should try and retain them for 2025.

Jul 24, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) reacts as he circles the bases after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 24, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) reacts as he circles the bases after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Jalen Beeks

The Pirates acquired Jalen Beeks at the trade deadline from the Colorado Rockies for lefty relief prospect Luis Peralta. Beeks' numbers at the time of the trade were not all that impressive. He had just a 4.74 ERA, 4.36 FIP, and 1.36 WHIP through his first 49.1 innings. His 8.5% walk rate and 1.09 HR/9 were roughly league average, but he struck out fewer than 20% of his opponents, sporting an 18% K%.

Against the odds, Beeks has proven to be a solid pickup since arriving in Pittsburgh. He has only pitched seven innings of relief, but has allowed just a single earned run, struck out seven, and walked three. Beeks has maintained a barrel rate of 5% throughout this run with the Bucs.

The Pirates should try to retain Beeks for the same reasons they should try to retain Chapman. They do not have any lefty relievers controlled through this season on the 40-man roster. Plus the Pirates gave up a non-insignificant prospect to get Beeks. Peralta was ranked as a top 30 prospect in the Pirates' system by both FanGraphs and Baseball America at the time of the trade.

Beeks is 31 (2025 will be his age-32 season). He doesn't have the track record of Aroldis Chapman, nor the experience in high-leverage situations like his fellow teammate. However, he has seen more higher leverage situations this year. His average leverage index of 1.81 is the 21st highest among relievers with at least 40 innings pitched this season. He'll likely end up commanding less than Chapman, but either way, Beeks should be one of the players the Pirates re-sign this offseason.

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