North Shore Nine

Monday night, we got the news that the Pirates had signed LHP Martin Perez to a one-year, $8 million deal. It was a much-needed addition to a rotation that is still short-handed with two months to go before Spring Training.

It’s a fine acquisition. The 33-year-old is a proven workhorse who has thrown over 1400 innings in his career. He’s only one year removed from an All-Star campaign where he posted a 2.98 ERA over 196.1 innings. It’s a fine acquisition.

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Friday night, we got the news that the Pirates had acquired OF Edward Olivares via trade from the Kansas City Royals. It’s a welcome addition of power to an outfield that all of a sudden needed some pop with the news that Endy Rodriguez was out for the year, moving Henry Davis behind the plate permanently.

It’s a fine acquisition. Olivares struggles mightily in the field and could only muster 385 plate appearances for a 100+ loss team last season, but he looks like he could be a decent short-side platoon option as he has had a lot of success vs LHP. It’s a fine acquisition.

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Last Tuesday, we got the news that the Pirates had signed 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez to a one-year, $3.2 million deal. After trading away Carlos Santana last season, a left-handed option at the first base position was much needed. Connor Joe proved serviceable against LHP last season with a .816 OPS and 122 wRC+, so this looks like the other side of a potential platoon at first.

It’s a fine acquisition. For $3.2 million, if Tellez can’t regain his 2022 form where he hit 35 HR after a disappointing 2023 campaign, the Pirates can wash their hands of him with practically no damage to their wallet. It’s a fine acquisition.

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During Winter Meetings, we got the news that the Pirates had acquired Marco Gonzales via trade from the Atlanta Braves. Like the Perez, acquisition, it was a much-needed addition to a rotation that had just one cemented starter at the time.

It’s a fine acquisition. Gonzales missed most of 2023 due to nerve damage in his pitching arm, but all signs point to him being healthy and ready to go for 2024. Prior to 2023, Gonzales was a prototypical workhorse type, topping 140 innings in each of the previous 4 full seasons. The Pirates are hoping Gonzales can regain his form prior to the arm injury. It’s a fine acquisition.

But that’s the problem. These are all fine acquisitions. Individually, there isn’t a lot to complain about with any of these moves. They all address needs, but they all do it in the absolute minimal way possible. Last year, Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette said on 93.7 The Fan that the Pirates should be shopping in “a different section of the store” this offseason. My question: “When are we going to see that?” Because these moves are all from the exact same section that Ben Cherington has been shopping in since he arrived in Pittsburgh.

These moves should keep the Pirates from regressing in 2024, especially with a (hopefully) healthy Oneil Cruz. But nothing I am seeing here shows any improvement from the same old, same old.

There are still too many “what ifs.” What if Oneil Cruz realizes his MVP potential? What if Henry Davis is actually a catcher? What if Ke’Bryan Hayes really found his swing at the end of the year? What if Liover Peguero taps into his potential to become a solid second baseman? What if Rowdy Tellez shakes off a poor 2023? What if Jack Suwinski figured it out last September? What if Mitch Keller continues to improve? What if Marco Gonzales finds his 2019 self? What if Martin Perez rebounds and repeats his 2022 season?

You can’t build a playoff team without sure things. And the Pirates don’t have many of those. A whole lot needs to go right for this team to compete in 2024.

They aren’t done. And these acquisitions are all fine. But if the Pirates really want to make some noise in 2024, they need to stop with the fine and start with the “hell yes.”

Luckily, there is still some time to do that. It’s up to this front office to make it happen.