The Pittsburgh Pirates have made good on their commitment to add proven big-league players this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a pledge to add some proven big league talent to the roster once the offseason started. To the front office’s credit, they’ve done just that by trading for Brandon Lowe and signing free agent Ryan O’Hearn.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington recently appeared on MLB Network Radio and discussed these additions and what went into the decision to bring them into the organization.
“Obviously, going into the offseason, we knew that a priority was to add to the position player group,” explained Cherrington. “There really wasn't a particular spot on the field; we just, we needed to improve it overall as a group.”
Pittsburgh’s addition started with a good look in the mirror at what the team had in its lineup, and whether or not that group had what it took to give the pitching staff adequate run support.
“There were just too many times last year where, as we wrote a lineup out, you could sort of already see in the lineup, you're kind of trying to squint to think that there's a good matchup there. And that's just, that's a hard way to win,” explained Cherrington.
Aug 4, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington looks on before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesAfter that, the Pirates knew what they needed to do: add proven big-league players.
“Ideally, we wanted to improve it with a combination of some certainty through some guys that had already done it at the major league level. I think with Brandon Lowe and then signing Ryan O'Hearn, we've taken a couple of important steps towards that,” said the Pirates executive.
Pittsburgh has certainly accomplished its goal of adding proven big-league players.
Lowe has a career OPS of .807 over eight seasons at the major league level, and O’Hearn isn’t too far behind with a career OPS of .742.
The Pirates have made some solid moves this winter and should be in a position to at least play meaningful baseball throughout the summer, if not be a playoff contender come October.
However, there are still some holes on the roster, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Cherrington has any more moves up his sleeve before spring training begins and eventually Opening Day.