Early Look at Pirates Top Free Agent Options
PITTSBURGH -- With a roster that appears ready to take another leap towards playoff contention and a fanbase that grows more restless by the day, the Pittsburgh Pirates cannot frequent the bargain aisle this offseason.
For as disappointing as the last month has been for the Pirates considering it once appeared they were headed towards playing meaningful September games, it's difficult not to derive some sort of optimism for the future of the club despite their current 64-73 record.
Truth be told, Pittsburgh's window of contention should be opening right about now. The organization's starting pitching talent at both the major- and minor-league level is among the best in MLB, and while work has to be done on the position player front, there's some valuable pieces that a core can be built around.
General manager Ben Cherington, if he makes it through the end of this season, will have a margin of error that's razor thin going into 2025, and the same applies for manager Derek Shelton.
Thus, the Pirates' brain trust needs to attack the free agent market with an uncharacteristic amount of aggressiveness and voracity. That all hinges on an increase to their $84.6 million payroll, which is the second-lowest in the league, and if owner Bob Nutting doesn't agree to do so now, then when will he?
It's unrealistic to expect the Pirates to shop at the top of the market. That doesn't mean they can't sign several impact veterans along the way, however, and there are no shortage of players who profile as logical free agent targets for them.
Christian Walker, 1B
Pirates first basemen have hit .246/.311/.396 with 21 home runs, 95 wRC+ and 0.4 fWAR this season, all of which rank among the bottom-half of the league. They're also responsible for -5 Outs Above Average (OAA) and -1 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), so it goes without saying that an upgrade should be in the cards this winter.
Pittsburgh will likely find itself priced out of the Pete Alonso sweepstakes, but Walker may be its best option at the position regardless of the cost.
After struggling to break through with the Baltimore Orioles early in his career, Walker was designated for assignment by the club in February 2017. He was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds, who let him go just weeks later before the Arizona Diamondbacks picked him up off waivers.
Walker eventually settled in as a starter for the D-backs in 2019 and never looked back. He has slashed .252/.331/.466 with 143 home runs over 796 games with the team, which includes back-to-back 30-homer seasons in 2022 and 2023.
Walker has also won Gold Glove Awards at first base in consecutive seasons and has posted 11 OAA with 7 DRS in 2024 despite the fact that he's been on the injured list since July 30 with an oblique strain.
The 33-year-old earned down-ballot MVP votes in '23 and was batting .254/.338/.476 to go with 23 home runs and 71 RBIs this season before going down with his injury.
While it's plausible Walker will require a commitment of over $20 million per year in free agency, it would likely come on a shorter-term deal and make that price tag more digestible.
If the Pirates are seriously about competing in 2025, they should be all over Walker from the get-go.
Tyler O'Neill, OF
This season, Pirates outfielders are responsible for an OPS of .639, a wRC+ of 77 and an fWAR of -1.7. Their totals in each of those three categories rank among the bottom-two in the league, and their only company down in the doldrums are the historically bad Chicago White Sox. Those stats all factor in Bryan Reynolds as well, who's an outlier with a slash line of .277/.344/.437 and a 1.3 fWAR.
From Connor Joe to Bryan De La Cruz to Jack Suwinski and everything in-between, Pittsburgh has yet to find even replacement-level players to stock their outfield with.
Perhaps the Oneil Cruz center field experiment becomes a success and one of Nick Yorke or Billy Cook comes up and locks down a corner spot this month, but a lot has to go right for the Pirates in order for them to avoid making a splash this offseason.
That's where O'Neill enters the frame. A 29-year-old from Burnaby, Canada, O'Neill spent parts of six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he hit .249/.323/.469 with 103 home runs and finished eighth in NL MVP voting in '21.
He won both the Gold Glove and Fielding Bible Awards in '20 and '21 for his stellar glove work in left field, putting up a combined 20 DRS and 8 OAA in those two campaigns. O'Neill's defense as a whole has slipped in recent years, though his arm remains an upper-echelon asset.
He played 168 years over his final two seasons in St. Louis after running into a multitude of injury issues, causing his offensive numbers to take a dive as well. Those durability concerns have factored in to a certain extent in '24, though he's still on pace to clear 100 games played for the first time in three years.
O'Neill was dealt to the Boston Red Sox last offseason and has batted .254/.344/.519 with 25 homers and 50 RBIs this year.
Spotrac projects the market value on his next contract to be three years, $48.67 million. Adding O'Neill to the roster would go a long way towards stabilizing the outfield without breaking the bank.
Tanner Scott, RP
With Aroldis Chapman, Jalen Beeks and Ryan Borucki all set to hit free agency, the Pirates could be on the lookout for a left-handed reliever who can fill a late-inning role this offseason.
Scott fits that description to a tee, though he'll have no shortage of suitors. The 30-year-old was inconsistent over his five-year tenure with the Baltimore Orioles to open his career before being traded to the Miami Marlins.
There, he posted a 2.70 ERA over 180 games and was an All-Star in '24 as he developed into one of the best bullpen arms in the league.
Scott was dealt to the San Diego Padres at this season's trade deadline and has pitched to a 2.40 ERA across 16 appearances with his new club.
Paying relievers is risky business, but Scott has a track record of sustained success at this point and has also avoided injuries throughout his career.
JACK MARKOWSKI