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

This offseason the Pittsburgh Pirates will have multiple holes they need to address. Let's take an early look at three potential free agent targets for the Bucs.

It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates have shied away from splashing in free agency in their history. Their largest free agent contract in team history is the second deal Francisco Liriano signed with the team after 2014 for 3 years and $39 million, which is quite depressing when you think about it.

That being said, the team spent just north of $30 million this past offseason, nearly double from the previous year ($16 million). There's no reason we shouldn't expect that number to go up again. The team will be entering Year 5 under Ben Cherington, and while there has been some progress made this year in filling certain positions, there are others that will need to be addressed externally. That is if the team is serious about wanting to win games soon.

Disclaimer: This is not a prediction of who the Pirates will sign this winter, but merely a list of players that are hitting the open market who would fill the needs on the Pirates' roster nicely. These three players would not only be affordable for the Pirates, but they would fill their biggest needs entering 2024 with consistent production.

Let's get into it!

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.

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.