Pirates Must Pursue This Star Free Agent Slugger
The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be a very interesting team to watch heading into the MLB offseason. After coming up short of the postseason, the franchise has a chance to make a strong push to be a contender in 2025.
Throughout the course of the 2024 season, the Pirates showed flashes of being close to being a playoff caliber team. However, there were a few weaknesses that killed those hopes late in the year.
One area that Pittsburgh needs to bring in help is in the lineup. They need a big bat to feature in the middle of it. More offensive production will be needed if they have hopes of making a run to the postseason.
With that in mind, there are a few different bats that they could consider pursuing during the offseason.
Bringing in an upgrade at first base wouldn't hurt. The Pirates should pursue star slugging first baseman Pete Alonso when free agency opens up.
Rowdy Tellez wasn't bad, but Alonso would be a huge step in the right direction. He would bring more pop to the lineup and is the kind of piece that Pittsburgh could build their offense around.
During the 2024 MLB season with the New York Mets so far, Alonso has played in 155 games. He has hit 34 home runs to go along with 88 RBI, while batting .245/.334/.473. Those numbers would look great in the heart of the Pirates' lineup.
At 29 years old, Alonso is going to cost a pretty penny to acquire. That being said, Pittsburgh should be more than willing to spend big to acquire talent. A piece like Alonso could power them to being a serious contender in the National League.
Recently, we suggested that one of the burning questions the Pirates need to answer this offseason will be whether or not they choose to bring in a bat. In that question, Alonso was mentioned as a potential target, along with a couple of other names.
"Quality bats like Anthony Santander, Pete Alonso and Willy Adames would bring some much-needed thump to a Pirates offense that desperately needs it. How much the Pirates are willing to spend will ultimately decide if Pittsburgh could be in the running for a big bat or will make a couple of small moves."
Not being willing to spend has been fine as Pittsburgh has rebuild the roster with young talent. Now that they're closing in on being a contender, that strategy has to change.
Alonso is going to have quite a few teams interested in his services in free agency. The Pirates need to be one of them.
All of that being said, Alonso needs to be a target for Pittsburgh. They would have to spend and break the mold that they have formed in recent years, but that will be need for the franchise to get where it wants to go.
Expect to see the Pirates be a much more active team this offseason than they have been in recent years. Alonso may not end up being a target, but he should be.
EVAN MASSEY