Inbox: Who will man center for the Bucs?

The Pirates are about one week out from the close of Spring Training, and there are as many questions remaining as there are answers.

Manager Derek Shelton has yet to name an Opening Day starter, who will be in the bullpen or who will start in the spots that have “open competition” like center field and shortstop, among others.

But let’s take stock of where the Pirates are -- or may be by Opening Day -- with an Inbox.

Center field is worrisome. Any chance that the Pirates will make a move there?
-- @1012rbc on Twitter

Despite the streaky showings by the center-field options in spring, that seems unlikely.

The Pirates have already made two moves to try to shore up the position this offseason, signing Brian Goodwin to a Minor League deal and acquiring Dustin Fowler from the A’s for cash. Obviously, these are not moves that required heavy losses on behalf of the Bucs, but add in the expected starter Anthony Alford and No. 16 prospect Jared Oliva and you have four guys in competition -- with Bryan Reynolds available to slide over from left if need be, too.

I don’t believe there are any experienced center fielders left on the free-agent market, which is where I’d expect the Pirates to pull from if they were to seek another level of depth. There’s virtually no chance they will trade for another center fielder unless it’s a cash transaction, like in Fowler’s case.

Trading prospects for help at a position with four options, each of whom the club would like to see get reps there, seems antithetical to what the Pirates are trying to accomplish. I think the mix is likely set as is.

Do you think Adam Frazier will be on the roster by Opening Day (i.e., not traded)?
-- Nick S.

Well, I guess we’ll find out very quickly if I’m right about this or not, won’t we?

My thought is Frazier will stay on the team for now. Most teams who had second-base needs before Spring Training have fulfilled them, and I don’t see a team who is just looking to trade for early depth giving up impactful prospects.

As well as Frazier has done this spring, it also would surprise me if teams would strike based off Spring Training stats alone after his struggles with the bat last season. It would make more sense for a team to grab him before the season started if they thought he could be their everyday starter. That seems unlikely; plus, he’s probably going to be seen more as a strong infield depth piece a team would acquire closer to the Trade Deadline.

Who will be the closer?
-- Danny F., Louisville, Ky.

I think a better question for the Pirates this season is: Will there be a closer?

I’m inclined to give Richard Rodríguez the nod as the “most likely to be a closer if there is one,” which is not a fun title to write or have. But judging by how Shelton has talked about the role, it seems less likely that there will be a defined closer.

That could be problematic for some teams, but the Pirates really don’t have a clear-cut closer in my mind. Rodríguez has mostly been used as a seventh- or eighth-inning setup man. Kyle Crick has a wipeout slider, but batters slugged .506 off his other main pitch -- the four-seamer -- in 2019, his last full season. Flamethrower Blake Cederlind is on the 60-day injured list. David Bednar has been lights-out this spring, but he has not performed as remarkably at the Major League level yet.

This is all a way of saying I don’t think there will be a set closer, and I’m not sure that’s surprising.

If Gregory Polanco is healthy and produces as he’s capable of when he is, do you think he will be moved by the Trade Deadline?
-- Tyler H.

Polanco batting well would be a great development for the Pirates, given his recent injury history and his struggles at the dish, but I’m not sure it will lead to a trade.

The main reason is that Polanco is still owed $11.6 million this season. He’s set to make $12.5 million in 2022, then $13.5 million in ‘23, and those have team options and buyouts included. Still, does it make sense for a team to acquire a player at that price point, then have to buy him out the next year if they wanted a rental?

At that point, you’re talking about the Pirates taking on some of the contract -- which they may well do -- but also a lower pool of prospect talent to get back vs. someone on a more team-friendly contract like Adam Frazier. That’s where I see the issues being too large to get a deal done.

I think Polanco would have to show some major gains for this to happen, and a team would have to have a bad enough need. There are plenty of good outfielders in the Major Leagues, so I’m not sure this would happen.

Any chance that Steven Wright will make it to the Majors this season?
-- Jake S., Pennsylvania

I think this is one of the more intriguing questions for the Pirates. When I got the news that he’d been signed, I must admit I was a little surprised. But all depth is good depth, because you never know when it might be necessary or pay off.

My initial impression -- without having seen him pitch since 2019 -- is that he won’t make the Major League team from the get-go. But if he stays in the organization on his Minor League deal and doesn’t get knocked around at Triple-A Indianapolis, I believe his chance of seeing some action with the Pirates is fair, given the Bucs' need for stretched-out arms.