Pirates' Spencer Horwitz Ready To Compete
The Pittsburgh Pirates' biggest splash of the offseason thus far came when it traded a trio of pitchers, including right-handed starting pitcher Luis Ortiz to the Cleveland Guardians for left-handed hitting infielder Spencer Horwitz.
The addition of Horwitz was a pivotal step toward addressing the Pirates' most pressing need this offseason. Given what Pittsburgh gave up to land him, one would imagine Horwitz is set to have an everyday role, the left-handed hitting infielder who has seen time at first base and second base isn't expecting to have anything handed to him.
"It seems like it's going to be a lot of first base and just come in ready to compete in camp," Horwitz said. "Nothing's going to be given to me. I know that, but it's nice to feel wanted and that's really exciting. I think it's gonna be a good opportunity for both of us."
Horwitz, 27, had spent the entirety of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays before he was included in a trade to the Guardians for All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez. A mere hours later, Horwitz was involved in a second trade that landed him in Pittsburgh.
Horwitz played in 97 games for the Blue Jays and batted .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. The left-handed hitting first baseman did most of his damage against right-handed pitching, amassing 12 home runs with 31 RBIs and he posted a .285/.380/.484 slash line in 300 plate appearances. Horwitz had 81 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, tallying just 9 RBIs and batting .194/.272/.250.
The Pirates' struggles on offense were costly in 2024, as they ranked 23rd in batting average, 24th in runs, 26th in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging percentage. Horwitz was acquired to help elevate the offense, and if he can do just that, it'd go a long way toward helping Pittsburgh improve in 2025 as it seeks to end its nine-year streak of missing the playoffs.
