Pittsburgh Pirates: An Early Look at 3 Free Agents to Target This Offseason

Left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery

There shouldn't be any argument that starting pitching needs to be at the very top of the Pirate shopping list heading into free agency, and the recently traded Jordan Montgomery is a proven lefty that would provide stability in any team's rotation.

He's having an extremely solid season this year, to the tune of a 3.38 ERA and 2.7 fWAR in 133 innings. His 7-10 record is misleading given the fact that he pitched over half of the season on the lowly Cardinals, and he'll undoubtedly be apart of the Texas Rangers playoff rotation when they make a push for a World Series this October.

He's currently signed to a 1-year, $10 million contract in his final year of arbitration. He's not quite in the Blake Snell or Eduardo Rodriguez tier of free-agent lefties, but he's a very solid mid-rotation option, and you could probably expect his new deal to be somewhere in the $15 million AAV range. He'd slot in perfectly behind Mitch Keller in the Pirate 2024 rotation.

First baseman Brandon Belt

Aside from Starting Pitching, this is the other glaring need for the 2024 Pirates. After trading away Carlos Santana and Ji Man Choi, the team seems to be rolling with Alfonso Rivas and Connor Joe the rest of the way for this year. Perhaps we'll see a September call-up for Malcolm Nuñez, but unless he sets the world on fire, the Pirates will likely have to head back to the free agent market to fill first base again.

If the Pirates were truly serious about competing next year, they'd make a run at trying to sign Rhys Hoskins, but we're trying to at least be semi-realistic here. Brandon Belt is enjoying a nice bounce-back year where is slashing .254/.370/.453 with a 130 wRC+ in 84 games up to this point. His left-handed swing would fit nicely at PNC Park, and he'd bring a similar veteran leadership presence to what we saw with Santana earlier this season. He's making $9.3 million in 2023.

The Pirates would probably have to overpay for him as the free agent options for first base are quite shallow. However, "overpaying" for Belt would still be substantially less than the $20 million or so AAV you would have to give to Hoskins, and Belt isn't coming off of a significant injury either. Unlike Hoskins, I think there's a real possibility of this one actually happening. Belt seems like exactly the type of player Ben Cherington would covet to fill the need at first base, and it would definitely be a great fit.

Right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen

That's right, another starting pitcher. You might've heard this name last week after he tossed a no-hitter in just his second start with the Phillies, and he would be a fantastic option to help solidify the Pirate rotation.

Whether you want to call it developmental failure or bad luck, the Pirates simply have not had the success they'd hoped for with their young starters this season. Both Roansy Contreras and Luis Ortiz regressed significantly, and Quinn Priester has looked quite poor since his call-up last month.

Before the season, if you had told any Pirates fan who pays close attention that all three of those names would be duds, they probably would have called you insane, yet here we are. Unfortunately, we're at the point where the only two locks for the Opening Day 2024 rotation are Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo.

Therefore, the Pirates need at least two starters this offseason if they are serious about winning in 2024. They cannot be the bargain bin or reclamation project types, either. Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez were serviceable before they were traded/injured, but the Pirates need to be aiming for a level higher than this if they actually want 2024 to be the year they turn the corner.

has a 3.23 ERA and 1.9 fWAR in 122.2 innings this season, and was the lone Tiger All-Star before they shipped him to Philadelphia at the deadline. He's signed for $8.5 million currently, and the Pirates should be able to give him a nice raise while still remaining comfortably within their budget. He would be a great addition to any team's rotation, but particularly the Pirates who severely lack experience and consistency with their starters.

Obviously, you cannot expect the Pirates to sign all three of these players. If they could even get one of these names, that would greatly improve their chances in 2024. While the Pirates have had some unfortunate things happen with their starting pitchers this year, the free agent class is one of the deepest we've seen in a while for pitching. There's a bunch of other names not included here that they can get to help bolster their rotation, so they'll have a great opportunity this offseason.