North Shore Nine

I have already listed out pitchers that the Pirates should target based on their slider shape that the organization likes to optimize. While pitching is by far the Pirates’ greatest need, only had 6 batters play over 50 games and have an above league average OPS+. Ke’Bryan Hayes (105 ops+), Bryan Reynolds, (113), Jack Suwinski (115), Andrew McCutchen (113), Connor Joe (107), and Jared Triolo (116). These guys have been good players for the Pirates in 2023, but there has been a distinct lack of star power in the offense since Reynolds’ 2022 excellent campaign. The Pirates need the star power to come through internally with the return of Oneil Cruz from ankle injury, and the flurry of young bats they graduated from to the majors last year. But they also have some massive holes that need to be filled.

We already know the Pirates will not make big splashes in free agency. The most expensive hitter the Pirates have ever shelled out for is a two-year, $14 million contract to Pittsburgh legend Russell Martin. So if we want to look for impact bats we will have to use the trade market the depth-filled farm system that the Pirates heavily tout as one of the best in baseball. As dubious as I am about claims like this, maybe the Pirates can pry these 5 bats away from their teams to fill necessary holes at first base, right field, 2nd base, or DH. A couple of notes: This assumes that the roster remains the same as it stands on November 22nd, 2023 (so no Andrew McCutchen). I’m also going to try and avoid players that I’ve already read about from Pirates reporters, like Jorge Polanco

who I would like the Pirates to acquire. I also will not be providing trade proposals, because I do not think any of us truly know the market and I have seen too many terrible Bryan Reynolds trade proposals to stomach a task like this.

Target #1: Anthony Santander

I am in love with the kind of play that Anthony Santander provides. He is possibly available as he is set to be a free agent in the 2025 offseason, and the Baltimore Orioles have a roster crunch in their outfield. They need roster spots for Austin Hays, Colton Cowser, and Keston Kjerstad with other prospects waiting in the wings in AAA Norfolk. This one is a little rough if you assume the Pirates resign Cutch (almost a guarantee) and have to give Henry Davis a position, and I don’t know where he can possibly land besides in right field. But for me, Santander checks so many boxes that the Pirates severely lack. The most obvious attraction that I have towards the former Rule 5 pick is his power. The Pirates in 2023 despite improving quite a bit on offense was 3rd last in the entirety of baseball in home runs hit with 159. The league average sits at 196 and the lowly Oakland Athletics hit 22 more home runs than the playoff hopeful Bucs. Santander has really found his power stroke as a hitter, the lefty has hit 61 home runs in the past 2 seasons. He would easily lead the Pirates in home runs over the same timeframe. With average exit velocity sitting comfortably at 90.6% and a hard-hit rate of 46% you can have dreams about how he would thrive with PNC Park’s Clemente Wall.

An underrated part of Santander’s game that excites me though is his ability to drive in runs. Yes RBI’s are a bad way to judge a player but every team needs guys who do not waiver when the pressure is on. Santander is that guy, slashing a staggering .305/.372/.547/.919 with runners in scoring position last season. He will never provide large amounts of WAR but someone who is that dominant with RISP can win you so many baseball games you might otherwise lose. Despite the positioning issues, I think that if you have a chance to roster him even for one year that would be absolutely massive helping the Pirates reach the playoffs again.

Target #2: Brandon Drury

The Angels are a bit of a dumpster fire at the moment. After buying heavily at the 2023 trade deadline they went on a horrendous losing streak, and superstar Shohei Ohtani is now a free agent. With how the roster is currently constructed they have very little if any hope of competing in the near future. They signed Brandon Drury to a two-year deal worth $17 million. He is scheduled to make 8.5 million this season before the journeyman hits free agency and fills a hole the Pirates need at 2nd base. If anyone thinks this is too much money, note that we paid Rich Hill 8 million dollars to be bad so this is definitely within the Pirates’ miniscule budget. The Pittsburgh 2nd base situation is less than ideal, and filling the hole temporarily with Drury is a good temporary situation while you wait for top prospect Termarr Johnson to receive the call.

Acquiring Drury allows the Pirates to let prospects Jared Triolo and Liover Peguero get comfortable with MLB pitching without throwing too much stress on the pair. Drury has been the definition of a solid baseball player for the past 3 seasons, posting an OPS+ of at least 111 since 2021. Drury is an unlikely source of power the Pirates can tap into, as he stroked 28 and 26 home runs in the past 2 seasons respectively. You would definitely want him posting better on-base numbers, but his OPS of .803 in 2023 dwarfs every single hitter in the Pirates lineup last year. At a position that doesn’t usually produce big offensive talent, Drury can be a cheap option to help push the Pirates’ offense into respectable.

Target #3: Ty France

In a just world, I would be pining for the Pirates to be trading for the available superstar first basemen like Pete Alonso or Vlad Guerrero Jr. But since we aren’t allowed to have nice things as Pirates fans we look for reclamation projects. Ty France was not good at playing baseball last season, putting disappointing numbers for a first baseman where league-average hitting simply isn’t acceptable. But his 99 OPS+ is an anomaly when you look at the rest of his career results. Despite an increase in hard-hit rate, launch angle, barrel rates, and almost all of his expected stats, France had the worst year of his career in terms of hitting. If the Pirates were to trade for France, the hope would be that he returns to 2021 and 2022 form, where he posted a respectable OPS+ of 128 and 125 that earned him a trip to the All-Star Game in ’22. The Pirates also don’t exactly have amazing options at first base going into next season. The team currently has starting catcher Endy Rodriguez and outfielder Connor Joe as the 2 guys who have really played the position before. The idea of letting Jared Triolo play first next season has been floated around, but wasting his defensive prowess at 1st base is a violation of the Geneva Convention.

Another interesting note is that Driveline graduate J.P. Crawford was telling reporters he was dragging Ty to Driveline this winter with him. That adds levels of confidence for me that you can take a chance on France and hope that it pays off. France is also not a long-term solution, as he hits free agency after the 2025 season. But you have to imagine that Ben Cherington can get France for fairly little as league-average first basemen aren’t exactly expensive to acquire if the Carlos Santana trade is anything to go off of. Seattle GM Jerry Diptio is notorious league-wide for pulling unexpected trades and dumping salary (he dumped Eugenio Suarez to save 12 million this offseason). With France set to make nearly 8 million in arbitration, the Pirates might see a chance to swoop in and get their first baseman for the next 2 seasons.

Target #4: Ryan Noda

Before the 2023 season, no one really had former Blue Jays and Dodgers prospect Ryan Noda on their radar. The 27-year-old rookie was one of the very few bright spots for the Athletics, slashing .229/.364//406 and posting a 121 OPS+ in 128 games last year. The Athletics letting him go would be criminal for baseball, but if the Pirates are looking for a long-term 1st base option who is making MLB minimum for the next 2 seasons and has 5 total years of control Ryan Noda is the most realistic option on the market. Noda does not have the power you might want out of a first baseman, only hitting 16 last season and he swings and misses a lot. Acquiring Noda is like acquiring more consistent Jack Suwinski, where you strike out a lot but the trade-off is elite on-base ability. The biggest argument against trading for Noda is that Pirates fans might want to jump off a bridge seeing those 2 guys back-to-back in a lineup. However, he ranks in the 98th percentile in all of baseball in terms of walks. When he makes contact he makes hard and high-quality contact. His hard hit rate of 45% and his walk percentage close to 16% arguably make him the Andy Haines idea of an ideal hitter.

I can’t imagine the A’s are actively shopping one of their players who actually played well and are making MLB minimum, making this a bit of a pipe dream. But when you consider how dire the Pirates’ first base position has been for the better part of 30 years having a chance to trade for Noda would be incredible. And based on how the Athletics have traded away all their good players for scraps (the Matt Olsen and Matt Chapman trades are some of the worst returns I’ve ever seen), Ben should at the very least be inquiring.

Target #5: Max Kepler

The disappointing news at the GM meetings was that the Twins are expected to slash payroll despite winning their first playoff series in God knows how long. Kepler is an ideal target to be shedding payroll on, as he is in the final year of his 5 year 35 million dollar contract. Scheduled to make 10 million in this upcoming season, if you think the prospect capital is too high to acquire Anthony Santander then this might be the next best option. Kepler was excellent in 2023; with 24 home runs, an OPS that would lead the Pirates with .816, and the best OPS+ he’s seen since 2019 at 121 that would also lead the Pirates. He also provides an above-average glove in right field, securing good defense that players like Davis, Palacios, or Joe simply cannot provide. Kepler mashes the ball, hitting it hard almost half the time, and keeps the strikeout rates down for the most part at 21%. He is a very nice blend of power without selling out contact completely.

A player like Kepler would tick all the boxes for what you need in a corner outfielder. If he builds off of 2023 you’re looking at a rental that won’t cost you much prospect capital, won’t add too much to payroll compared to another rental outfielder, and is someone you can comfortably slot in as your five hitter in a competitive lineup. You run into similar roster problems as you do with Santander for sure, as the Pirates have too many mediocre right fielders and not enough spots on the 26-man roster. I submit to the readers that if you will not make moves for players like Kepler because you’re afraid of losing Joshua Palacios or Connor Joe you don’t deserve to win baseball games.