The Pittsburgh Pirates are pursuing yet another All-Star player.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have already made a four-year offer to All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber, and apparently, they aren't done.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post has reported that the Pirates are also pursuing free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, the top backstop available on the open market.
Pittsburgh is currently employing former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis behind the plate, but Davis has been a massive disappointment since breaking into the big leagues in 2023, owning a lifetime .181/.262/.294 slash line. He registered a .512 OPS this past season.
Realmuto is not quite the same player who made three All-Star appearances between 2018 and 2021, but he would still comprise a significant upgrade over what the Pirates have at the position.
The 34-year-old slashed .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI over 550 plate appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025. It was his worst offensive output since his second major-league season in 2015, but it was still far better than what Davis offered this past year.
Realmuto is expected to land a deal worth in the neighborhood of $15 million annually this winter, and he could get up to three years.
Would the Pirates be willing to go that far on the Del City, Ok. native? It remains to be seen, and we actually don't know exactly how much money they offered Schwarber.
Keep in mind that the biggest free-agent contract Pittsburgh has ever struck came back in December 2014 when it signed pitcher Francisco Liriano to a three-year, $39 million pact, so this is entirely new territory for the Buccos.
One thing is for sure: the Pirates are under more pressure than usual to perform this offseason thanks to comments made by Paul Skenes after the 2025 campaign, when Skenes made it clear that he expects Pittsburgh to show improvement by next season.
There has also been rampant speculation that Skenes wants to play for the New York Yankees, but the NL Cy Young award winner has staunchly denied such conjecture.
It's certainly strange to see the Pirates so active. Oddly enough, we have arguably heard Pittsburgh's name connected to more big-name free agents than even the Yankees at this stage. Of course, whether or not the Bucs actually make anything happen remains to be seen.