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The Winter Meetings are in the books, and while the Pirates have only made one trade and one signing so far this offseason, they’ve been engaged on several fronts.
There are still questions to be answered before they return to Bradenton, Fla., for Spring Training. Here’s what I heard about these topics in Orlando:
What’s next for the lineup?
Kyle Schwarber was the Pirates’ top free-agent target. He stayed with Philadelphia. Jorge Polanco was someone Pittsburgh really liked and tried to entice with a guaranteed job playing in the infield and what was believed to be a multi-year deal. He signed with the Mets on Saturday instead.
So what is the pivot? How does Pittsburgh improve its offense with two of its top free-agent targets off the board?
In Orlando, it sounded like the Pirates would lean more into the trade market once Polanco made a decision. That doesn’t mean they’re abandoning free agency -- reports still link them to Ryan O’Hearn and Kazuma Okamoto -- but I’d expect them to be more active in trade talks for the time being.
Brandon Lowe’s name came up at the Winter Meetings, and he would give the team the left-handed power it sorely needs and covets. A left-handed-hitting second baseman coming off a 31-homer season? That would be a great fit, even if it would come at the cost of a one-year, $11.5 million contract and some prospects. I’d imagine those prospects would be more Major League-ready than lower-level, since the Rays aren’t looking to rebuild right now, but there’s probably a way to make the trade work.
Will they trade another pitcher?
The Pirates entered this winter knowing they could trade from their starting-pitcher depth for bats, and they have already made one such move, dealing Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego to the Red Sox for Jhostynxon Garcia. Pittsburgh had talked to Boston about Garcia since at least the Trade Deadline, and the Bucs used their pitching capital to land a Major League-ready Top 100 prospect (Garcia is ranked No. 85, per MLB Pipeline) at a position of need.
You can only trade so much pitching during a given winter, but it sounds like Pittsburgh is willing to deal another starter for the right price.
“We’re open to that. We’ll have a high bar,” general manager Ben Cherington said at the Winter Meetings. “We’ll more likely consider that if it’s something that’s coming back immediately into our lineup.”
Cherington added that if the Pirates trade another starter, they’ll be more motivated to add another starter to their mix. So if you’re making a mock Mitch Keller trade to reallocate his salary, set aside some of that saved money for a back-end-of-the-rotation arm.
Speaking of Keller’s trade market, I don’t know if he would bring back a big, proven bat. Chatting with league sources in Orlando, the vibe was that Keller was viewed closer to a back-end starter rather than a front-end guy. Perhaps his market won’t be as robust as some expected.
Is the bullpen set?
The bullpen was in dire need of more leverage arms and a lefty specialist, which led to them signing Gregory Soto to a one-year, $7.75 million deal (pending a physical). There weren’t a lot of lefties on the market that they really liked outside of Soto, and new pitching coach Bill Murphy pushed for him, so the Pirates pulled the trigger and made a reliever their first signing of the winter.
Of course, the priority this offseason is improving the offense, but this bullpen could use another big arm. Dennis Santana is going to be a leverage guy, as is Soto, and Isaac Mattson had a nice season. I’ve also heard really good things about Justin Lawrence, who could step into a late-inning role.
There’s some potential upside with this unit, especially after they added so many young arms to the roster who could help in the bullpen soon, like Ryan Harbin and Brandan Bidois. They have some roster flexibility with their optionable relievers, but how about another veteran for the eighth or ninth? The Pirates had some interest in Seranthony Domínguez before the Soto signing, and while I think it could still be on the table, the focus is on adding bats now. If he or another reliever is still on the market later this winter, they could circle back.