ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Pirates need bats, and it looks like they are taking a big swing to get one.
According to a report by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Sunday, the Pirates have offered Kyle Schwarber a four-year contract that "almost certainly is for more than $100 million." Such a deal, if accepted, would obliterate the franchise’s record for the largest free-agent deal, which is the three-year, $39 million contract Francisco Liriano signed in December 2014.
The appeal of Schwarber is obvious. The Pirates need to upgrade their offense, and Schwarber is the best hitter on the market. The runner-up for the National League MVP Award in 2025 had an NL-leading 56 home runs and an MLB-best 132 RBIs with a .240/.365/.563 slash line, good for a career-best 150 OPS+.
The Pirates finished last in the Majors in many key offensive categories -- most notably runs (583), home runs (117) and OPS (.655). They have some pressing areas of need this offseason, like third base and the outfield, so adding a designated hitter might not be the ideal positional upgrade, but it’s hard to argue with making an offer to the best hitter on the market.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported earlier this offseason that the Pirates are believed to have $30-40 million available to spend this winter, so Schwarber would potentially eat a large chunk of that. Pittsburgh theoretically could create more financial flexibility by trading Mitch Keller, who is set to make $16.5 million in 2026.
The Pirates did make an addition to their outfield mix earlier this month when they sent a package of players centered around Johan Oviedo to the Red Sox for Jhostynxon Garcia, the No. 85 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and Jesus Travieso. While Garcia isn’t believed to be the third outfielder at this time -- Pittsburgh could still add to that position group -- he does offer depth and high upside at a position of need, potentially giving the club more flexibility to take a bigger swing elsewhere.
This story will be updated with further developments.