Should the Pittsburgh Pirates do any last minute shopping?

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to take advantage of the wealth of affordable veteran talent still available on the free agent market.

You can never have too much depth. It is the mantra of every athletic team from community youth programs to the major sports conglomerates, from badminton to baseball. Last year, the Pirates had 1 cases of Tommy John surgery throughout the organization. They were hit hard at the Triple-A level, especially with injuries. Casey Sadler, Brandon Cumpton, and Jameson Taillon were lost for the season. Alen Hanson suffered a hand injury that caused him to miss out on a September promotion.

Everywhere you look, with the possible exception of the bullpen, the Pirates Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, has a very talented roster. But with question marks in the major league rotation, bullpen, and bench, the Pirates spent the off-season relying heavily on the development of their prospects into major league ready players.

The entire Indians rotation could see time with the major league club at some point this season. Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon are certain locks, although fans may only get a mere taste of the potential of Taillon in his first year back in competitive baseball two years removed from Tommy John surgery himself. Angel Sanchez, Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl, and Steven Brault are all candidates for an emergency spot start later in the season or for a September promotion. The Pirates could also have Cory Luebke as a factor if he can recover from the unfortunate series of events that plagued him the last couple of years.

Still, even with a wealth of talent at the Triple-A level, it’s sandwiched between the uncertainty of how they will perform at the majors, possibly in replacement of other questionable starters in Jeff Locke and Ryan Vogelsong, and the uncertainty of the wealth of talent readily available at Double-A Altoona and High-A Bradenton. The Pirates would be wise to seek out the services of Sean Marshall as a possibility to battle his way back as a stellar veteran relief option or the once-promising Justin Masterson that has experienced considerable velocity loss in his fourseam fastball, sinker, and slider. He would have been another intriguing swing-man option for depth at the Triple-A or major league level. A move to the bullpen could also restore some of that velocity and a reduced workload would both keep him working and reduce injury concerns.

In his first few appearances, Daniel Ortiz has impressed as a potential depth option destined to head to Indianapolis, but the Pirates may have missed a golden opportunity to provide some competition for the fourth outfield spot against Matt Joyce. Grady Sizemore, Alex Rios, and Delmon Young are all still awaiting that phone call. Delmon Young could have been the best option of the three, but after just being arrested last month for misdemeanor battery, it may be in the best interest of the team to steer clear of him.

Grady Sizemore seemed to finally start getting it back together with the Phillies in 2014, and his success carried over to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015.  Once one of the most dynamic hitters in baseball, Sizemore would be solid competition for Joyce at the right price.

Coming off of winning the World Series, who could blame Alex Rios for wanting to hang up his cleats at age 35 and walk out on top? But if he wants to play in 2016, he would provide a quality bat and consistent fielding if a team can lure him back.

With Jung Ho Kang still a risk to begin the season on the disabled list despite being well ahead of schedule in his recovery, the Pirates missed an opportunity to sign veteran Clint Barmes, and could miss an opportunity to sign the serviceable replacements of David Freese or Alberto Callaspo should Kang not be ready to go. Instead, they may rely on the unreliable glove of Jason Rogers, the even more unreliable bat of Sean Rodriguez, or start Hanson or Rodriguez at second and Josh Harrison at third until Kang is healthy.

The Pirates are taking a new approach to spring training in 2016, hoping more playing time for players expected to make the opening day roster will avert another disastrous start in April. However, the Pirates are missing out on a rare opportunity to acquire veteran talent that can increase depth, make the team better overall, and provide the wisdom of experience, which is sorely lacking in camp this year, to younger players. Signing veterans to minor league deals doesn’t always work, but the right players can provide invaluable benefits as low risk options.

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