Former Twins OF Could Address Pirates' Biggest Need
The Pittsburgh Pirates took one step toward addressing their need at first base when they acquired him via trade from the Cleveland Guardians for a trio of pitchers, including promising right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz.
Still, the Pirates have a need for a third outfielder who can start alongside Oneil Cruz and two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds. Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer broke down one free agent every team should sign to address their biggest hole that remains this offseason and had Pittsburgh signing former Minnesota Twins right fielder Max Kepler.
"The Pirates' lineup mostly looks set heading into 2025, save for the question mark hanging over right field," Rymer writes. "They can do better than Joshua Palacios, who has a .650 OPS to show for his major league career. The Bucs and free agency are famously not bedfellows, but one hopes that owner Bob Nutting would be willing to cough up the cash to sign Kepler. He'd suit the team as both a right field regular and center field insurance for Oneil Cruz."
Injuries have played a role in Kepler's decline from being one of the game's better hitting right fielders. Even with his health being a significant question mark, the left-handed hitting outfielder is just one season removed from hitting 24 home runs and driving in 66 runs. Those numbers would have ranked with the Pirates' best hitters in 2024 for an offense that ranked in the bottom 10 in every major team hitting stat in 2024.
Kepler, 31, played in 105 games in 2024, the fewest of his career due to left patellar tendinitis that landed him on the 60-day injured list at the end of the season.
The Pirates aren't swimming in intriguing options to step up in right field. Jack Suwinski returning to form when he led the Pirates with 26 home runs in 2023 would go a long way toward solving Pittsburgh's problem, but banking on him to become that player is also a risky proposition.
If the Pirates believe Kepler can stay healthy and be a reliable bat in the middle of the lineup, he could be exactly what they need as they seek to end their nine-year postseason drought.
