Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has already made one significant trade before the Winter Meetings.
On Thursday, the Pirates traded right-hander Johan Oviedo and two prospects to the Boston Red Sox for rookie outfielder Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia and another prospect. That was step one in what could be a busy winter for the Pirates.
Owner Bob Nutting, stung by longstanding public criticism for being penurious, has reversed course and given Cherington extra money to spend on players this winter. The Pirates originally planned to keep player payroll flat in 2026 following a downturn in attendance this year.
Yet the Pirates are being connected with some top-of-the-line hitters during the offseason rumor mill. They have made plays for outfielder Kyle Schwarber and third baseman Eugenio Suarez in free agency. They are said to have talked to the Arizona Diamondbacks about trading for second baseman Ketel Marte.
Any of the three would provide a massive upgrade to the Pirates' feeble offensive attack. The Pirates were last in MLB in runs scored, home runs, and RBIs this past season while finishing last in the National League Central with a 71-91 record. The Pirates had a losing season for the 29th time in the last 33 years.
Schwarber hit a National League-leading 56 home runs this year for the Philadelphia Phillies and drove in an NL-best 132 runs. The burly left-handed hitter also scored 111 runs, stole 10 bases, and had a .240/.365/.553 slash line. Schwarber finished second in the NL MVP voting and was the MVP of the All-Star Game.
Suarez belted 49 home runs combined this year for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. His slash line was just .228/.298/.526, but he offset the low batting average by driving in 118 runs.
Marte had another fine season in 2025 when he was selected to the All-Star Game for the second straight year. He hit .283/.376/.517 with 28 homers while winning a NL Silver Slugger award for the second season in a row.
Cherington hasn't made any splash moves since joining the Pirates before the 2020 season. Part of it is that Cherington is conservative by nature, and part of it is that Nutting has given him very low payrolls.
The Pirates, though, seemed poised to make some news. What better place to do it than in front of the entire baseball world at the Winter Meetings, which begin Monday in Orlando.