Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Arms for the Bullpen on the Back Burner

The Pittsburgh Pirates offseason takes an interesting turn as General Manager Ben Cherington indicates ongoing spending in free agency. The mention of "resources" hints at the team's potential strategy, possibly involving signings or trades While not explicitly stating it, Cherington makes it seem that the team has more plans yet for the offseason.

Shifting the focus to the bullpen, the Pirates have a solid foundation with David Bednar as a reliable closer, Carmen Modlinski emerging as a backend arm, and Joe Hernandez and Dauri Moreta establishing themselves. However, Cherington's comments suggest an exploration of alternatives, indicating a proactive approach to bullpen reinforcement.

"And Cherington didn’t rule out addressing the bullpen, although it’s more likely to be through non-roster invitees.

“We’d love to add to it,” Cherington said. “I think in terms of resources, if we’re talking about free-agent dollars, we went into the offseason and will continue to say the same thing that probably those resources are likely to go into starting rotation and position player and will continue to build the bullpen in a different way.”

The quote above comes from Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer Kevin Gorman, in a recent article he shared a bunch of tidbits from this offseason thus far. So be sure to check it out.

Based on the part from Gorman's article, it seems any bullpen move will be relatively under the radar. Likely deals will involve potential signings of experienced veterans on minor league deals, providing an opportunity to tap into somewhat experienced depth when need be. Additionally, the addition of veterans via Spring Training non-roster spots adds depth and competition. The team recently brought in Jake Lamb on this type of deal.

For Pittsburgh Pirates fans, this hopefully shows that the team truly is trying to create a better roster.

In the grand scheme of things that all is what fans are asking for, the team to just at least try. No one expects them to sign big-money free agents like Aaron Nola or Cody Bellinger. However, the team actually adding players that their fans know who they are without having to dive into their Baseball Reference page is a positive sign.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' offseason continues to unfold with intrigue with the signings so far and the continuing rumors. Cherington's comments hint that there are definitely more moves to come. There is an expectation that the team will continue to try and add starting pitching. The team has already brought in veteran starters Marcos Gonzales and reportedly Martin Perez. While they are solid rotation pieces, neither presents a front end of the rotation upside-type arm. Hopefully, this is where the resources are going to be going towards.