The Pittsburgh Pirates may not sign any of the elite players in the league, but that doesn’t mean the offseason has been a bad one. As the winter continues to unfold, the front office appears focused on trying to improve the lineup and if they continue to do so, Pittsburgh should feel very good with what it has.
Rumors are now suggesting that the Pirates aren't done just yet.
According to Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors, third base in particular is a priority, with Pittsburgh already exploring multiple players and more are on the way.
“The left side of the infield is an expected target. Pittsburgh was involved on NPB third baseman Kazuma Okamoto before he signed a four-year contract with Toronto. They’ve been loosely linked to Eugenio Suárez, the second-best available free agent at the position after Alex Bregman. If Suárez’s asking price also proves too rich, the Bucs could look to a one-year deal for Yoán Moncada, Willi Castro or Ramón Urías,” he wrote.
The Pirates’ interest in Kazuma Okamoto was interesting and suggested that they wanted to upgrade at third base.
Okamoto would’ve been a long-term investment with some upsdie, and the fact that Pittsburgh was involved before he ultimately signed with the Toronto Blue Jays shows it wanted to try.
With Eugenio Suarez coming into play, one could make the argument that he'd be the best player to pursue as of now. He's proven throughout his career that he can be a legitimate power bat and proved so again a year ago, despite some struggles with the Seattle Mariners.
However, if Suarez becomes too expensive, as Franco touched on, it wouldn't be surprising to see Pittsburgh go in a different direction
If that happens, the fallback options are more about just adding someone. Short-term deals for players like Yoan Moncada, Willi Castro, or Raman Urías would allow Pittsburgh to improve marginally but not a whole lot.
The names may change, and we don’t know who will sign for what just yet, but it's a positive sign that Pittsburgh has done what it's had to do in the early stages of the offseason and still has some time to get better.