Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Outfielders to Potentially Pursue

No. 3 Free Agent, Michael A. Taylor

Quite a few Pirate fans have been intrigued by free agent Michael A. Taylor, who happens to be one of the best defenders in recent years. However, his problem is he doesn’t hit for a high average and is likely due to regression. In his career, his hitting has been very hit or miss, with most of his value coming from his fielding. But in 2023, he started to slug home runs like crazy, finishing the year with 21. However, that likely won’t happen again and was caused by an increase in his barrel rate, which in his career has been below-average to elite, depending on the season.

Taylor’s main attraction would be the fielding ability he would add, with his 90th percentile arm strength and range, as well as an 87th percentile in total arm value, marking him as one of the best. He would fit quite well into the Pirates’ current system, where they like to attempt a lot of steals and double-steals.

He hasn’t fully proven himself as a base-stealing threat, but if molded right, he could become a part of a championship-esque team like the 2015 Kansas City Royals, who had power-hitters like Mike Moustakas, Kendrys Morales, and Salvador Perez, paired along with good contact hitters like Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon, and Eric Hosmer, as well as speedy players like Alcides Escobar, Jarrod Dyson, and Cain.

To start the 2023 season, the Pirates play very aggressive baseball, like the 2015 Royals who went on to shock everyone by winning the World Series, despite the lack of elite players, compared to the stacked 2015 New York Mets.

No. 2 Trade, Lane Thomas

The Washington Nationals still have quite a bit of time remaining before they are fully ready to compete, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they attempted to trade a player like Lane Thomas, who has interest from quite a few teams.

Thomas is by no means considered one of the best outfielders, but he has one of the most valuable arms in the outfield with some of the best arm strength you can find. However, his range is quite lacking, which prevents him from winning gold gloves. In 2022, Thomas started to break out, but in 2023 he finally did when he hit 28 home runs while batting .268 on the less than stellar Nationals.

He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 for International Slot Bonus money from the Blue Jays and later got traded to the Nationals in 2021 for Jon Lester. In the minor leagues, he showed he had power, but his lack of walks could be a problem, like Tim Anderson had in 2023 with his regression making him nearly unplayable.

Thomas probably won’t be the most expensive, but he is very risky. He could continue to break out late in his career like players such as Adolis Garcia and prove himself worth acquiring, which is what the Pirates should do since you have to risk it for the biscuit.

The current outfield holds Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski, while Suwinski plays solid defense, Reynolds has been one of the worst. Adding another speedy power-hitter like Thomas could be similar to acquiring another player like Taylor, but at a younger age and a long-term cheaper option, which is what the Pirates like to hear the most.

No. 1 Trade, Luis Robert Jr / Eloy Jiménez

If the Pittsburgh Pirates want to create a championship-type outfield core, they should consider trading for either Luis Robert Jr. or Eloy Jiménez, if not both, because they could be one of the best one-two punches while having years left before free agency.

Robert has around 4 years left on his six-year, $50 million contract, with two of the years being club options for $20 million a season. He will be earning $15 million in 2025 and $12.5 million in 2024, with Jiménez likely having to move to DH or occasionally playing outfield like Giancarlo Stanton. Jiménez, like Robert, signed a long-term contract, which will see him getting paid $13 million in 2024, with a club option in 2025 and 2026 worth $16.5 million and $18.5 million.

Robert finally had his breakout season in 2023, and Eloy has been due for his breakout season, but due to injuries, he has been unable to. If the Pirates acquire him and he finally breaks out, this trade could make a Pirates' dynasty, but if it goes wrong, it could also fracture the future.

The White Sox will likely want something like a king's ransom for both of them combined, so this trade would likely have to be headlined from the Pirate side with either Henry Davis or Endy Rodriguez.

The Pirates seem unlikely to trade Rodriguez due to his age and future projections, which could mark him as one of the best catchers in the league in future seasons, while Davis has dealt with a few injuries and is older. So, his current abilities being lower than Rodriguez at a younger age are quite concerning after getting drafted first overall in 2021.

Using MLB trade values, I calculated what a possible trade would look like to fill some holes in the White Sox roster, as well as adding depth that could develop, but the cost of trading for those two could likely be higher.

In a perfect world, I would project that to acquire both Robert and Jiménez, it would likely cost Henry Davis as the key piece, as well as young developing MLB ready talent like Liover Peguero, Ji-Hwan Bae, and Bailey Falter. A pitching prospect such as Thomas Harrington would likely be required as well.