Pirates Have Glaring Need Heading Into 2025 Season
The Pittsburgh Pirates have made one significant move this offseason to address a pivotal need when it traded for left-handed hitting first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
Even with Horwtiz's promising bat now in the lineup, he's far from the only reinforcement Pittsburgh needs to improve an offense that has been among baseball's worst throughout its nine-year playoff drought. MLB.com listed one question every team needs to answer ahead of Spring Training and listed right field as the thing the Pirates have to address in the near future
"The Pirates came into this offseason knowing they needed to improve their offense, and first base and corner outfield were the two positions that needed the biggest boost," MLB.com's Alex Stumpf wrote." They added Spencer Horwitz to play first base, but the outfield has no clarity, especially as the free agent pool is starting to thin. Is a trade their best course of action, and if so, how much more pitching can they deal?"
Given Pittsburgh's lack of willingness to spend money in free agency, signing an impact corner outfielder always felt like an unlikely path toward addressing the need. Trading more pitching for a corner outfielder could be a tough pill for the Pirates to swallow after it parted with a trio of pitchers, including right-handed starting pitcher Luis Ortiz for.
The Pirates aren't without internal candidates. Pittsburgh acquired utility player Nick Yorke, who is the team's No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline and has experience playing in the outfield. The ideal situation for Pittsburgh could very well be left-handed Jack Suwinski returning to form from the 2023 season.
Suwinski posted a 113 OPS+ and 2.2 Wins Above Replacement after batting .224/.339/.454 with 26 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2023. He suffered a fall from grace in 2024, posting a -1.7 WAR and batted .182/.264/.324 with 9 home runs and 26 RBIs in 88 games before he was sent down to the minor leagues.
Pittsburgh has its options between free agency or giving a young player a chance in right field. Regardless, the Pirates are going to need consistent production from the position if they're going to compete in the National League Central throughout the 2025 season.
