Pirates Linked to Potential Move to Poach Phillies Star

The Pittsburgh Pirates saw a lot of success during the 2026 season, even though the team didn't make the playoffs.

The Pirates finished the year 82-80 for the year, but the team was much more competitive than in previous seasons. This could bode well for the future, especially considering that Pittsburgh has a solid young core to work around.

But the big goal for the Pirates this offseason will be to add more talent around that core. The Pittsburgh front office started to spend a little bit of money last offseason, and if this team is going to find more success in the future, they may need to open the checkbooks up again.

The Pirates have to figure out how to hit left-handed pitchers, and this should be a priority this winter for the front office. Pittsburgh was one of the worst-hitting teams against lefties this year, and it ultimately caused a lot of issues for them.

One name that could be very interesting could be veteran infielder Luis Arraez, who will be a free agent. Arraez split time between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies this year.

MLB analyst Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report linked Arraez to the Pirates following the Phillies' season coming to a close. Arraez was acquired by the Phillies at the trade deadline, and when he was healthy, he made a direct impact for the team.

The veteran could solve a lot of the problems for the team. In his career, Arraez has hit .282 against left-handers, showing strong results in an area that the Pirates desperately need.

For the season, Arraez hit .310 with six home runs and 64 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .764. Arraez got back to the basics of his game, which is getting hits and getting on base, and this helped him out greatly.

The veteran isn't much of a power-hitter, and he looks to get hits, rather than home runs, giving him an old-school approach to hitting. But Arraez could be exactly what the Pirates need, and his veteran presence could be huge for the young team.

Pittsburgh would have a lot of competition to land him, but adding the veteran to the mix could be massive for this team. Arraez is going to be one of the bigger free agents this offseason, and while he isn't the superstar player, his game is something that all teams could use on their roster.