What's left on Pirates' offseason wishlist before spring training?

The Pirates' offseason so far has been underwhelming, to say the least. They have made plenty of minor-league signings, brought back Andrew McCutchen, and traded for Spencer Horwitz. Those have all represented productive steps towards putting together a competitive team, but there is still a lot to do and not a lot of time left to do it.

Now that it is January, Ben Cherington has just one more month until to complete the roster before players begin reporting to Bradenton for spring training. As it sits right now, the Pirates have 38 players on the 40-man roster, and still have holes across the major league roster.

With not a lot of time left for the Pirates to address these team needs, let's examine what is left for them to do, in order to give themselves the best shot at fielding a competitive roster on Opening Day.

What's left for Ben Cherington to do for the Pirates before spring training starts next month?

Finding an upgrade in right field is at the top of the list, bolded with stars next to it. The Pirates must upgrade right field this offseason, whether that is through a trade or in free agency. There are plenty of options in both markets within Pittsburgh's typical price range. The bigger picture, though, is that they cannot go into Opening Day with what they have rostered.

The two players on the roster in the mix for right field are Joshua Palacios and Jack Suwinski. Both did not spend much time in the major leagues last year, as Palacios dealt with injuries and Suwinski just was not productive at all. Banking on either of them to rebound or handle the everyday job is too big of a risk, which makes right field the Pirates' biggest, blaring red alarm of a need.

The other primary need for the Pirates is at least one left-handed reliever. The only southpaw out of the bullpen that is on the 40-man roster is Joey Wentz, and the Pirates cannot rely on him in high-leverage situations when they need a left-hander.

After losing Aroldis Chapman, Ryan Borucki, and Jalen Beeks to free agency, the Pirates' left-handed depth on the active roster consists of just Wentz and Bailey Falter. They absolutely need southpaws in the pen. Like in the outfield market, there are options, but now Pittsburgh must finish the deal on at least one.

To be a contender in the division in 2025, the Pirates must fulfill these two requests. They cannot rely on their current right fielders or (lack of) left-handed relievers. There is not a lot of time left until players report, which puts a lot of pressure on Cherington to find these players.