General manager Ben Cherington spoke to reporters at O’Hearn’s introductory press conference and highlighted two areas the team still wants to add. “If we could add someone to the left side of the infield, that’s something we’ll keep an eye on. We’ll continue to be opportunistic in the outfield, see what comes our way,” the GM said (link via Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette). Cherington also said they would like to add to the pitching staff after they dealt Mike Burrows And Johan Oviedo in the Lowe and respectively Jhostynxon Garcia transactions.
The left side of the infield is an expected target. Pittsburgh was involved with the NPB third baseman Kazuma Okamoto before signing a four-year contract with Toronto. They are loosely connected Eugenio Suarezthe second-best available free agent at the position next Alex Bregman. If Suárez’s asking price also proves too high, the Bucs could look to sign a one-year deal Yoan Moncada, Willie Castro or Ramón Urias.
It would be harder to find an everyday answer at shortstop. There are no further free agent options Bo Bichetteassuming they aren’t interested in one Isiah Kiner Fear meeting. There has not been any kind of trading market on the position. The Pirates would only be interested in a stopgap solution anyway. Connor Griffin may be the best prospect in baseball. Pittsburgh hasn’t closed the door on forcing him out of Spring Training and into the big leagues, even though he only has 21 games of Double-A experience. Even though that’s an overly ambitious timeline, he thinks it will be sometime in 2026.
Unless Griffin breaks camp, they’re expected for one Nick Gonzales/Jared Triolo link on the left. Gonzales is a former top 10 pick, but has a mediocre batting line of .257/.300/.375 in parts of three seasons. He is miscast as a shortstop. Gonzales was drafted as a second baseman and played primarily at cornerback with mixed reviews from scouts and defensive stats. He has 230 MLB innings at shortstop and has started just one game at third base.
By adding a third baseman, the Bucs could use Triolo as their backstop. The 27-year-old is a better defender at third base, but has more shortstop experience than Gonzales. He also has the superior defensive qualities as a second baseman. Triolo also has a light bat, carrying a .236/.320/.347 hit in three seasons. A strong second half (.276/.353/.422) has earned him several votes of confidence from Cherington, but he won’t be a major barrier to an upgrade.
Suárez could be the only clear improvement on the free agent market among the realistic targets for the Bucs. There is still time for a trade opportunity in the late offseason. For example, the Phillies run at Bichette would almost certainly lead to a Alec Bohm trade if a deal is made.
Left field doesn’t seem to be much of a priority. Pittsburgh acquired Garcia and Jake Mangum through trade. O’Hearn has the ability to work as a semi-regular corner outfielder on top of his first base/DH split next Spencer Horwitz. Lowe also has experience in the outfield, although Cherington said he would work as the primary second baseman. Pittsburgh has also tendered a contract Jack Suwinskiso he’s still in the mix as a depth piece.
Each rotation pick-up will likely be on a one-year contract late this winter. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller And Bubba Chandler are locked in rotation. Braxton Ashcraft should be among them, even though he worked in a swing role last season and only threw longer than five innings in a start once. Rookies Hunter Barco And Thomas Harrington would compete for the fifth starter role. Carmen Mlodzinski could get another chance as a starter, but struggled with that role early last season, working 2-3 innings in the second half. Jared Jones will hopefully be back from elbow surgery by the All-Star Break.
There is plenty of talent, but only Skenes and Keller are established sources of innings. Pittsburgh generally signs a fifth starter to a one-year contract worth $8 million or less. That’s often a lefty they can get cheaply and rely on PNC Park – the toughest for right-handed home run power – to get decent results. Jose Quintana, Tyler Anderson, Martin Perez, Andrew Heaney and trade collection Bailey Falter all fell into that bucket. Quintana, Anderson, Pérez and Patrick Korbin are speculative possibilities this offseason.
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