Perhaps the most stunning news through the first two days of the Winter Meetings is the Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly making an offer to free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington did not discuss Schwarber specifically on Monday, when he met with members of the media who regularly cover the team. And plenty of people roaming the lobby at the Signa Hilton seemed skeptical that the Pirates are going to sign an upper-tier free agent. After all, the franchise hasn’t even pursued a player of that caliber since unsuccessfully courting B.J. Surhoff in the 1997-98 offseason.
Yet Cherington said the Pirates are serious about upgrading an offense that was last in MLB in runs scored, home runs, and OPS last season. The lack of production led to a 71-91 record and a last-place finish in the National League Central, despite the Pirates having the seventh-best ERA in the major leagues.
“Looking to seize an opportunity,” Cherington said. “We believe we have the foundation. We've got to add to it. We believe we can win in 2026 if we do the necessary work to do that. Part of that is going to be roster building. Part of that is going to be building the culture of the team and just executing well.
“So, we're pursuing a whole host of free agent and trade options as part of that strategy. A lot of different shapes of free agency, trades. Some stuff gets out. Some stuff doesn't. We've just got to stay on it and be in a position to land the ones that we can land."
Schwarber is 32 but is still expected to land a contract in the range of five years for $150 million after leading the NL with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs this season as the Phillies’ primary designated hitter. The largest contract the Pirates have ever given to a free agent is the three-year, $39-million deal left-hander Francisco Liriano signed in the 2014-15 offseason.
The Pirates have also been linked to other high-profile free agents, most notably catcher J.T. Realmuto, first baseman Pete Alonso, second baseman Jorge Polanco, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, and Japanese corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto.
“I am very confident we'll be able to execute between now and spring training,” Cherington said. “I don't know when it will happen. I don't have a sense if it's going to happen in the next three days, next week, or next month. Confident that we're going to be able to land some stuff that makes us feel better about the position player group and the depth of the lineup going into spring training. Believe that the best way to do that is to be engaged on as many fronts as possible. You chase 100 things, and three, four, five land. That's still the stage we're at."