The Pirates were uncharacteristically active at the trade deadline last season, trading away top prospects to acquire Keone Kela from Texas and top trade target Chris Archer from Tampa Bay. Does this signify a seismic shift in the way the small market Pirates are going to run the organization? Are we entering a brave new world where we can expect the Pirates to be in on top free agents like Manny Machado or Bryce Harper this winter?
Don’t hold your breath.
The Pirates did, however, go into this offseason with three areas that need to be addressed: finding an everyday right fielder until Gregory Polanco returns from shoulder surgery, shoring up a questionable middle infield after the probable departures of veterans Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer, and adding at least another lefty to a bullpen that is, while promising, lacking in this area.
The first of these needs were addressed when they inked Lonnie Chisenhall to a one year deal in late November. This move makes a lot of sense, as long as Chisenhall can stay healthy because he has the versatility to help out with infield depth after Polanco returns. The team was reported to have had interest in Marwin Gonzalez as well, and probably still do, but after the addition of Chisenhall, this seems less likely than ever given that whereas he is not as versatile as Gonzalez, he does check a number of the same boxes, and the demand for Gonzalez’s versatility will likely drive the price for Gonzalez higher than what the Pirates will be willing to spend.
The thing that Gonzalez would have offered that Chisenhall does not is, of course, the ability to play shortstop. Adam Frazier will in all likelihood get the first crack at filling the void left by Josh Harrison at second base, with rookies Kevin Kramer and utility man Pablo Reyes, who impressed in a September call-up also in the mix. The outlook at shortstop is a bit murkier. Ideally, rookie Kevin Newman, the team’s first-round pick from the 2015 draft will assume the starting role this season, but given a somewhat lacking debut in his September call-up last season, the team will no doubt need some depth at the position to add some stability. Utility infielder Eric Gonzalez, who the team acquired in a separate deal with Cleveland in November, could provide that, and they could still look into bringing back Mercer, now a free agent, or look to other available veteran options such as Jose Iglesias, Adeiny Hechavarria, or Freddy Galvis. Surely adding some more experience to this relatively young middle infield couldn’t be a bad idea.
Adding another left-handed pitcher to the bullpen should be pretty high on General Manager Neil Huntington’s list this year. Currently, the bullpen features only two southpaws: Felipe Vazquez, who will presumably remain in the closer role, and Steven Brault, who posted a 4.61 ERA in 91.2 innings pitched last season. One could argue that the addition of Kela, who has experience closing out games, could free up Vazquez for use in leverage situations where a lefty is needed. This seems unlikely, however, considering Manager Clint Hurdle tends to be rather committed to the idea of a designated closer, and also consistently loyal to the players occupying the role. It will be interesting to see who they bring in, in an article from Bucs Dugout, Alex Stumpf makes a good case for Jake Diekman to be on the shortlist.
While looking for the Pirates to make a big splash this winter in the free agent market is not a reasonable expectation, we can expect Huntington to be active in addressing these needs, as he has been successful in the past finding effective options to fill holes in the roster that fit the Pirates’ typically budget minded payroll. With other teams around the National League looking to be rather aggressive in the free agent market this winter, the Pirates will likely have their work cut out for them if they hope to reach the postseason.
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Nice write up.