The best (realistic) options the Pirates have to fix right field

Right field was a rough position for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. The players the team used combined to hit just .223/.295/.319 with a 71 wRC+. Not only were the players the Pirates put in right field horrific hitters, but they were equally bad fielders, posting -15 outs above average and -7 defensive runs saved. They combined for -2.0 fWAR, representing the lowest value the Pirates have gotten out of right field in the 2000s, per fWAR.

To say the Pirates need to fix the position is the understatement of the decade. But luckily, the Pirates have plenty of options to go after, both on the free agent and trade markets, that will be within their budget. Given how poorly the Pirates’ right fielders played last year, even average production from the position would significantly boost the lineup.

Pirates Free Agent Options for Outfield

Realistically speaking, the Pirates likely are not going to sign Anthony Santander, nor Teoscar Hernández. Not only are the Pirates unlikely to shell out the money needed to sign either slugger, but especially not when both have a qualifying offer attached. However there are still some quality options out there, like Randal Grichuk. Grichuk played a part-time role for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, who led the league in runs, but ended up being one of the team's best hitters, too.

In 279 plate appearances, Grichuk batted .291/.348/.528. He provided the D-Backs’ lineup with a ton of power, smacking a dozen home runs and posting a .236 isolated slugging percentage. Grichuk’s 7.2% walk rate was a career-high watermark, as was his 16.5% K%. Overall, Grichuk had a .373 wOBA and 139 wRC+. The only players the D-Backs had with a better OPS, wOBA, or wRC+ in 100+ games were Ketel Marte and Joc Pederson, the former of which finished third in MVP voting. Grichuk’s defense was playable, with +3 defensive runs saved, albeit with -2 outs above average.

Grichuk has strong platoon splits. He owned a .913 OPS, .391 wOBA, and 151 wRC+ against left-handed pitching in 2024. Grichuk faced a lefty in 184 of his plate appearances for the season, but he held his own against right-handers, too, with an .801 OPS, .338 wOBA, and 116 wRC+ in a much smaller sample size. Grichuk’s career triple-slash against lefty hurlers clocks in at .274/.324/.509. Grichuk is only one of 21 batters with a slugging percentage above .500 against LHP since his 2015 rookie season (min. 1000 plate appearances).

Another decent platoon option is former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays. Hays is just one year removed from an All-Star season where he batted .275/.325/.444 with 16 home runs in 566 plate appearances. While neither his 6.7% walk rate, nor his 24.9% K%, were anything great, Hays did provide above-average pop with a .169 isolated slugging percentage. Overall, he had a .330 wOBA and a 112 wRC+. Hays also held his own in the outfield with +5 defensive runs saved and -1 OAA.

2024, however, was not nearly as good of a season for the one-time All-Star. Hays only hit .255/.303/.396 with a .303 wOBA and 98 wRC+ for the Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. Hays’ K% saw a slight improvement to 23.1%, but his walk rate plummeted to 3.5%. He hit for far less power, with just five homers in an injury-limited 255 plate appearances and a .140 isolated slugging percentage. Hays didn’t do much in the field either, with -8 DRS and -3 OAA.

For what it’s worth, Hays still did very well against LHP in 2024. He had a .941 OPS, .402 wOBA, and 167 wRC+ in a small sample size of just 90 plate appearances. However, his performing well vs LHP isn’t a small sample size fluke. For his career, Hays is a .277/.331/.469 slasher when facing lefties. He has just a .719 OPS when facing a righty.

Pirates Trade Candidates

If the Pirates want a full-time option, then Taylor Ward is the best player on the market for right field. Ward has been an above-average hitter for three straight seasons. This past year, the LA Angels outfielder had a .243/.323/.426 triple-slash. Ward hit for an above-average amount of pop, hitting a career-high 25 home runs with a .189 ISO. Ward’s 24.9% K% wasn’t great, but he did draw ball four at a healthy 9.5% rate. Ward finished the year with a .325 wOBA and 111 wRC+. Ward consistently provides solid defense and had zero DRS but +3 OAA. Ward covered 35.7 feet in his jump on fly balls, which was the 21st-most in baseball, while running good routes.

Ward has a powerful engine under the hood. He was in the 80th percentile or greater in expected slugging percentage (.458) and expected weighted on-base average (.344). He has no problems making good contact, either. Ward had a 90.9 MPH exit velocity (77th percentile) and a 13% barrel percentage (91st percentile). He had the same barrel rate as Kyle Tucker and Rafael Devers, and ranked above the likes of known sluggers Ketel Marte, Elly De La Cruz, Willy Adames, and Gunnar Henderson.

Ward is a proven option that comes with two years of control remaining. He is estimated to make just $9.2 million in arbitration this offseason. Another candidate that has MLB experience is Mike Yastrzemski. He hit .237/.306/.437 last year with 18 homers in 474 plate appearances. Yastrzemski has consistently provided above-average power, as 2024 marked the fifth time he has put up an ISO above .200 (.206). However, his 26.2% K% was a career-high, while his 8% walk rate is the lowest BB% he has put up since his 2019 rookie campaign.

Yastrzemski makes good contact at a decent rate, with a 90.4 MPH exit velocity and 10.5% barrel rate. Despite that, he had a career-worst .304 xwOBA last season. Defensively, he has always graded out as a solid glove. Last year, he had +4 DRS, but -2 OAA. Thankfully,he was above average when it came to ground covered in his jump and route running abilities, and was in the 70th percentile of arm strength. Yastrzemski is in the last year of his contract. Will the Pirates pay any price at all for a pure rental?

If the Pirates want to trade for a player with a ton of upside instead, then they should call the Orioles about MLB-ready slugger Heston Kjerstad. Kjerstad was a former first-round pick who has done nothing but demolish minor-league pitching when healthy. Since reaching Triple-A, Kjerstad has hit .300/.385/.536 with a .400 wOBA and 133 wRC+ in 617 plate appearances. While his 22.1% K% isn’t going to wow anyone, he has a 10% walk rate, has gone yard 26 times, and has an ISO well above .200 at .236 at the level.

Kjerstad has also appeared in the majors, albeit briefly. He has 147 career plate appearances in the bigs between 2023 and 2024, and, to his credit, hasn’t done poorly. He has a .746 OPS, .325 wOBA, and 113 wRC+ throughout the small sample size. Kjerstad is ranked as a top five prospect in the O’s system and entered 2024 as a consensus top 50 prospect in the game. With the glut of young outfielders the O’s have available, Kjerstad could be moved for pitching.