The Pittsburgh Pirates are apparently making more of an effort this offseason, whatever that means. General manager Ben Cherington said that the Pirates want to add more offense, which makes sense considering they were the worst offensive team in baseball in 2025.

But is Pittsburgh actually going to try to improve? Or is it all a ruse?

Well, the Pirates made an offer for Josh Naylor, who opted to re-sign with the Seattle Mariners on a five-year, $92.5 million contract. What did Pittsburgh offer? Five years, $78 million. Yes, it would have been, quite easily, the biggest free-agent contract the Bucs have ever handed out, but it was obviously well short of what Naylor was actually worth.

That's why it's hard for me to take the Pirates' supposed interest in Kyle Schwarber all that seriously, especially considering they would likely have to overpay to convince him to come aboard.

All hope is not lost, though.

Pittsburgh absolutely has some realistic possibilities in free agency, and perhaps one of the most obvious ones is second baseman Jorge Polanco.

Polanco slashed .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI over 524 plate appearances with the Mariners in 2025. Yes, he posted a .651 OPS the season prior, so this could represent a classic case of buyer beware, but it's worth noting that Polanco owns a .771 OPS across 12 big-league campaigns.

The 32-year-old will definitely be affordable for the Pirates, too. If they were willing to offer nearly $80 million for Naylor, they should certainly be able to sign Polanco, who won't cost nearly as much and will surely land a shorter deal, probably either two or three years.

Polanco is a terrible defender, but at this point, Pittsburgh just needs offense. Polanco would have been the team's best hitter this past season, and while he may not replicate his .821 OPS with the Buccos, he should at least be able to provide a nice boost.

If Polanco is at least in the neighborhood of his lifetime OPS, then he would comprise a very good pickup for the Pirates, who need to keep Paul Skenes happy in Steel City.

Signing Polanco instead of splurging on Schwarber would also allow Pittsburgh to add some other pieces, whereas adding a player of Schwarber's caliber would probably tap the Pirates out of financial resources.

Polanco isn't an elite player by any means, but he has hit over 20 homers three times in his career (including 33 back in 2021) and would, at the very least, be an offensive upgrade for a Pittsburgh squad that ranked last in baseball in runs scores this past year.