The Pirates are a team on the rise, having made a number of moves this winter to supplement their young core. But with less than a week remaining before the club’s pitchers and catchers report to camp in Bradenton, Fla., Pittsburgh might not be ready to close the book on the offseason just yet.
Even as the calendar has flipped to February, the Pirates have continued to probe the possibility of another significant addition, with reported connections to third baseman Eugenio Suárez and starter Framber Valdez before those players joined the Reds and Tigers, respectively.
The Pirates did reach a deal with José Urquidy on Thursday (per a source), but he profiles more as a depth option than a substantial upgrade. The righty has missed most of the past two seasons due to injury and had a below-average ERA+ in each of the two years before that.
Looking at who is still available in free agency and on the trade market, here are three targets the Pirates could consider to improve their 2026 playoff chances.
Chris Bassitt, SP
The Pirates already have the makings of an upper-echelon rotation led by reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t benefit from adding another starter. Though FanGraphs ranks Pittsburgh’s starting staff fifth in projected WAR for 2026, there’s still a lot of uncertainty behind Skenes and Mitch Keller.
Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco and Carmen Mlodzinski have combined for just 29 career starts. Jared Jones, meanwhile, is coming off internal brace surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old missed all of last season after making 22 starts as a rookie in 2024.
Zac Gallen is arguably the best remaining free-agent starter with Valdez off the board, but he’d only add another question mark after posting a 4.83 ERA in 2025. What the club really needs is a floor raiser, making Bassitt an ideal option. The veteran righty has made at least 30 starts in each of the past four years with a 3.77 ERA and 110 ERA+ in that span.
Marcell Ozuna, DH
The Athletic mentioned Ozuna as a free agent drawing interest from the Pirates on Wednesday. Pittsburgh already signed Ryan O'Hearn to fill the DH role, so Ozuna isn’t a perfect positional fit, but as the top projected hitter left on the free-agent market, he’s a compelling option nonetheless for a lineup still in need of an upgrade.
Ozuna isn’t far removed from recording 79 homers, 204 RBIs and a 148 wRC+ across 2023-24. While the slugger’s bat regressed in 2025, his 21 home runs for Atlanta would have led the Pirates, and his 114 wRC+ would have ranked second on the team behind Spencer Horwitz (119).
Mark Vientos, 3B
If the Pirates are still intent on adding a third baseman after missing out on Suárez, the trade market may be their best option. Pittsburgh has reportedly held talks with the Mets about Vientos and Brett Baty, both of whom have been left without a clear path to regular playing time after New York acquired infielders Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien.
Baty outperformed Vientos at the plate last season and also offers a superior glove at third base, not to mention more defensive flexibility, so Vientos may be the more attainable target for Pittsburgh. Vientos produced a 97 wRC+ in 2025, but he’s still just 26 years old and showed big-time power over 454 plate appearances one year prior (27 HR, .249 ISO), making him a solid rebound candidate.