With the rush of the Winter Meetings behind them, the Pittsburgh Pirates will now continue to supplement their 2016 roster.
Last year, the team saw a relatively quiet Winter Meetings that nevertheless saw them come away with key pieces such as Atntonio Bastardo and Francisco Liriano, who they re-signed.
The bulk of their roster work was done after the summit. General manager Neal Huntington identified a market exploit as he looked to Korea for position players, solidified the weakest part of the 25-man roster (the bench) and found value in unheralded bullpen arms.
For the team to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs for the NL Central Division in 2016 and beyond, they will need to address several still-glaring needs.
First base
The departure of Pedro Alvarez leaves Michael Morse as the lone first baseman on the team’s 40-man roster with major-league experience. That can’t inspire confidence in both fans and the team alike, as Morse is far removed from his out-of-nowhere 2011 season. That year saw him hit 31 home runs, collect 95 RBI and post a .910 OPS. Since then it’s been a slow decline for Morse, who performed admirably as a pinch-hitter but is not an everyday player at this point in his career.
During the meetings, the Pirates were linked to both Mitch Moreland and Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers. Napoli is currently a free agent, while Moreland doesn’t hit the market until 2017. It is a curious time to be a first baseman in Texas, with Prince Fielder also in tow.
Moreland fits the profile slightly better than Napoli, as he hits from the left-side and can keep pitchers a bit more honest with a slight edge in strikeout rate. Either are solid defensively and would make a good fit. The team’s interest in Napoli goes back as far as last season.
Of course, any addition at the corner will be a stopgap solution until Josh Bell is ready to assume it full-time. Other than the top tier of talent such as Chris Davis, the market is thin, with names such as Chris Carter and former Pirates Steve Pearce and Justin Morneau having the best resumes.
Keep an eye on Kelly Johnson as a possible low-risk, high-value pickup. The 33 year old left hand bat posted a .750 OPS in 2015 between the Braves and Mets. If the Pirates decide to go with a true platoon along with Morse, Johnson could be an option.
Starting Pitching
Despite Huntington’s recent comments, the team will still pursue free-agent starting pitching. Rumors that the Pirates would be interested in Justin Masterson have never fully been debunked, and there is still a flicker of hope for the team to sign a pitcher such as Scott Kazmir.
Numerous outlets have reported that the team’s interest in Kazmir “intensified” during the meetings and though the Pirates did not come away with the hurler in tow, talks may still continue. A surprisingly small amount of teams were linked to the established veteran, keeping the door open for a team like the Pirates to make an attractive offer.
Do not expect the team to make a splash signing. Any deal – even one for Kazmir – would have to take into account the team’s timelines for prospects Tyler Glasnow, Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham. Expect short-term deals and reasonable money as a result.
Bullpen and Bench Depth
Two areas that are often overlooked, but are still crucial to a team’s success, are the bullpen and bench. Just two years removed from players such as Michael Martinez, Brent Morel and Jayson Nix seeing playing time, the team’s bench was considerably better last year. This, even after considering out-and-out misses such as Corey Hart and Andrew Lambo.
It should come as no surprise then that the Pirates are considering bringing Sean Rodriguez back to the fold. Despite serving as the fulcrum for Wild Card-loss angst, Rodriguez is a solid MLB bench player who can play multiple positions. I would be very surprised if Rodriguez wasn’with the team as it travels to Bradenton for spring training.
The rest of the bench will be filled out with journeyman-level MLB players or those just past their prime who are hanging on. The recent addition of first baseman Jake Goebbert as well as 40-man roster mainstays Wily Garcia, Pedro Florimon and Keon Broxton also may be counted on for depth.
The Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen was the stuff of legend in 2015. Sporting the best ERA of any relief unit in the majors in 2015, the 2016 version has serious quesiton marks.
Most of the questions swirl about incumbent closer Mark Melancon. Melancon’s status with the team is still unclear other than the fact that he was offered a contract and will go through the arbitration process. He remains a valuable trade chip.
Should Melancon be dealt, Tony Watson will capably take over closing duties. Behind him lie the unknowns. Jared Hughes has acquitted himself well but may not be able to assume the “setup-man” role. The recent signing of Juan Nicasio fills a need for middle-to-long relief. Arquimedes Caminero has proven that his raw talent and velocity is transforming him into a quality bullpen arm.
Beyond those four listed above, the Pirates would have to lean on Bobby LaFromboise and recently acquired Allen Webster as in-house options. LaFromboise has looked serviceable in parts of two seasons while Webster has struggled to a 6.13 ERA in three MLB seasons.
The good news for the Pittsburgh Pirates is that the market for relief pitching is still flush with attainable options at varying prices. Another left-handed hurler should be at the top of the team’s wishlist. Huntington will be extra motivated to address the bullpen, as he saw first hand how much of a difference maker it could be last year.
To some, it feels as if a 98-win team should not have this many uncertainties up-and-down its roster, but the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves in a unique position this offseason.
While they never were a “Keeping up with the Joneses” type of organization, the club will have to make smart moves to better compete with a much stronger National League playoff field in 2016.
