The Pittsburgh Pirates must come to grips with this harsh reality.
The Pittsburgh Pirates promised their fans they would make some big moves this offseason. Thus far, outside of trading Johan Oviedo, they haven't done anything of serious significance.
The Pirates had the worst offense in all of baseball this past year, so the general expectation was that they would add some bats.
Well, Pittsburgh whiffed on Josh Naylor, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Polanco, and while names like Eugenio Suarez, Ryan O'Hearn, Marcell Ozuna and even Kazuma Okamoto have been floated a possibilities for the Pirates, it will be hard for Ben Cherington to convince any of those guys to join the Buccos without vastly overpaying.
So, what will the Pirates do if they can't sign anyone?
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has revealed a bleak reality for Pittsburgh in that regard, noting that the Bucs will probably have to explore some trades to bolster their subpar lineup.
"Trades could prove the Pirates’ best path if they repeatedly are spurned by free agents. Kyle Schwarber rejected them, and so could others who prefer to play for more competitive teams," Rosenthal wrote. "Already, one person in the industry has created a term for a Pittsburgh club that might keep finishing as runners-up: 'Pirates-maids.'"
Ryan O'Hearn. Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images.Considering Pittsburgh has made just three playoff appearances since 1993, has logged just four winning campaigns during that span and hasn't made a trip to the postseason in a decade, can you blame top free agents for not wanting to head to Steel City?
While the Pirates seem to be trying to make an effort to put a contending team around Paul Skenes (who expressed some obvious frustration at the end of the season), it's easier said than done.
Pittsburgh will have to sell players to join the squad, and that's tough to do when you just went 71-91 the year prior and have no track record of winning.
For example, why would Schwarber choose the Pirates over the Philadelphia Phillies, the latter of whom gave him a five-year, $150 million deal while Pittsburgh offered him four years at $125 million?
The same goes for Naylor, who re-signed with the Seattle Mariners. Polanco chose $20 million annually over two years from the New York Mets, who didn't even make the playoffs in 2025.
Why would fellow sluggers like Suarez, O'Hearn and Ozuna think any differently?
Rosenthal is right: the Pirates might have to scour the trade market in order to genuinely improve, because it seems hard to imagine any good players wanting to voluntarily sign up to play in Pittsburgh.