Bucs should look into adding this former Pirates player who just hit free agency

The Pittsburgh Pirates could desperately use some first base help. I’m not going to name names because it’s obvious who I am talking about, but I don’t want to pile on even more, and I also feel bad for him. Either way, that doesn’t change the fact the Pirates could use another first baseman.

Connor Joe has been struggling since receiving more playing time, so a platoon is very much needed. While I still expect the Pirates to make some sort of move to get a higher profile first baseman this summer -- at least, a reliable platoon-mate -- one player who recently hit free agency is worth looking into: Ji Man Choi.

Choi recently opted out of his minor league deal with the New York Mets after they did not place him on their roster. He struggled with the Mets’ Triple-A team, only turning in a .183/.307/.317 triple-slash and 65 wRC+ in 101 plate appearances. While he still showed off good raw power with a 91.1 MPH exit velocity and drew a plenty of walks with a 15.5% BB%, he also struck out 27.7% of the time.

But Choi showed some promise in Pittsburgh last season. While he spent most of the year on the injured list, Choi hit four home runs with a .930 OPS, .379 wOBA, and 138 wRC+ in the 44 plate appearances prior to getting traded to the San Diego Padres, alongside left-hander Rich Hill. But Choi couldn’t carry that hot streak over to the West Coast, as he had just two hits in his final 41 plate appearances and missed just over a month with a fractured ankle.

Pirates should try to recapture magic with Ji Man Choi

Although Choi missed a lot of time last year, there were definitely some positive takeaways from his season. The raw power never went away. He had a 93.4 MPH exit velocity and 19.7% barrel rate. Even though Choi ended the year with just a .385 slugging percentage and .267 wOBA, he had a .493 expected slugging and .349 xwOBA. Both numbers probably would have looked more like their expected counterparts had he stayed healthy and received more than 117 plate appearances.

Plus Choi was a solid, above-average hitter in Tampa Bay. Across four seasons, Choi was a .242/.350/.421 batter. He hit for some pop with a .179 isolated slugging percentage while drawing a walk in 13.8% of his plate appearances. Although he struck out 26.1% of the time, he was still a quality batter, turning in a 117 wRC+ and .334 wOBA.

Ji Man Choi isn’t the savior to all the Pirates’ issues with the lineup, but he has a solid track record and showed some promise last year despite missing a good portion of the season to injury. I think the Pirates could benefit from seeing what Choi could do. I’d be more inclined to see if he could help absolve some of the depth issues at first base over Jake Lamb, Malcom Nunez, and possibly even Matt Gorski. It also probably would cost very little for the Pirates to sign Choi, especially if they can give him a Major League roster spot.