“Pirates Continue Pitching Search and Consider Diving into Catching Market”
The Pirates have bolstered their pitching rotation for the upcoming season by signing Martin Perez, acquiring Marco Gonzales, and successfully re-signing Andrew McCutchen. General Manager Cherington, during a recent media session discussing the McCutchen deal, expressed the team’s desire to further enhance their starting pitching options.
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While the free-agent market still offers numerous veteran starters available on short-term deals, such as James Paxton, Jakob Junis, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Noah Syndergaard, and Spencer Turnbull, recent reports suggest that the Pirates are leaning towards a trade for rotation help. This marks a departure from their usual strategy of trading veterans for young players, signaling a potential shift in their building process.
Pirates
The Pirates currently have a surplus of infield options on the 40-man roster, especially at second base. With Ke’Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz securing the left side of the diamond, players like Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Liover Peguero, Alika Williams, and Ji Hwan Bae are competing for playing time. However, recognizing the limited available playing time for this group, the Pirates may explore packaging some of these young talents in a trade for a starting pitcher with multiple years of club control.
While the focus in the pitching trade market has been on one-year rental options, the Pirates are also considering pitchers with multiple years of club control. Dylan Cease is mentioned as a potential candidate, and other names like Jesus Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Michael Kopech, Brady Singer, Jose Urquidy, and Framber Valdez have been rumored to be available. The Mariners, with a surplus of pitching talent, are also speculated to be a potential trade partner.
Regardless of how the pitching pursuit unfolds, the Pirates are not limiting their offseason moves to just the rotation. Cherington hinted at exploring the market for catching help, particularly after the unfortunate news that Endy Rodriguez will miss the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. With former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis potentially taking on a full-time role, and additions like Ali Sanchez and Jason Delay providing depth, the Pirates are keeping their options open for further enhancements.
In the broader scope of the offseason, the Pirates have a range of options, from veteran free agents on short-term deals to potential trade targets, including change-of-scenery candidates, players with underwater contracts, and out-of-options players. The team remains active in shaping its roster for the upcoming season.
