In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are less than three weeks away from their first team workouts. Their needs at this point are few. Their starting rotation is more or less set – although the stray Jose Quintna rumors are still out there, getting less and less visible as the days pass on – as is their everyday lineup. The relief corps is still fluid with so many lefties, and the bench is solid.
Which is why it’s surprising to have heard that the Pirates may be in the market for a “fourth outfielder” type of player. Looking at the club’s current makeup, Adam Frazier jumps out as someone that can spend time at the corner outfield slots – he appeared in a combined 36 games as such. Josh Bell can take some time off of first and play some right field. Though he spent all but two innings at second base in 2016, the Pirates may be tempted to move Josh Harrison around a bit to recapture his 2014 form. Jose Osuna serves as a minor league depth outfielder as well.
So why would the Pirates want to explore the market? For one, they may be looking to strike gold much as they did with David Freese and Matt Joyce last season. The longer that players go unsigned, the lower their prices. We’ve previously explored a few of those such players. Second, the club may be looking to exclusively keep Bell at first to gain much-needed reps. And, as much as it may sting a portion of the fan base, the club may not believe that Frazier can build upon the solid work he put up in his 160 plate appearances last season.
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Baseball Talk on the Web
- Speaking of the thin market, here are the Top Ten remaining free agents as per MLB Trade Rumors.
- Jays from the Couch has a terrific story about a man who illustrated the entire 2016 Blue Jays season.
- In a shocking move, the Red Sox will retire the number of David Ortiz.
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