Pirates Could Aggressively Pursue Remaining Free Agents
The Pittsburgh Pirates have remained relatively quiet throughout the offseason, minus trading for first baseman Spencer Horwitz and re-signing Andrew McCutchen.
While the Pirates being inactive in free agency isn't a surprise, there's no disputing they need to address a few needs, particularly in the bullpen. In ESPN's latest power rankings, insider Buster Olney noted Pittsburgh and other teams are being patient in hopes that the prices for the remaining free agents go down.
"Executives and agents have noted the enormous pool of unsigned free agents that remain, as teams wait for prices to drop on the second-and third-tier players," Olney writes. "Think of it as the after-Christmas sales. This could be where Pittsburgh does some shopping."
The Pirates dropped four spots to No. 24 in ESPN's latest power rankings. Pittsburgh was No. 20 in its way-too-early 2025 rankings.
Trading for Horwitz was a step in the right direction to improve a Pirates offense that has been among the league's worst throughout their playoff drought, which dates back to 2015. Still, one could make a strong argument that another reliable bat is necessary.
The other pressing need for Pittsburgh is in its bullpen. The Pirates' bullpen had the fourth-highest ERA and was tied for the second-most blown leads in 2024.
Pittsburgh has a couple of paths toward adding more arms to its bullpen. It could stay patient and wait for the price of free agent relievers to go down. The Pirates could also use their surplus of starting pitching in the big leagues and throughout their minor league system to improve their bullpen. Right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, the team's No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 85 in all of baseball, could be an intriguing candidate to move to the bullpen and potentially become the Pirates' closer for the foreseeable future.
Regardless of the path Pittsburgh takes, its patience will have to lead to adding a reliable bullpen arm or two if it is going to compete in the National League Central throughout the 2025 season rather than faltering in the final couple of months like it did last year.
