The Pittsburgh Pirates look to quietly bolster their roster at the 2015 MLB Winter Meetings.
Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings kick off today and a flurry of exciting offseason activity is bound to follow. The Pittsburgh Pirates will most likely be one of many active teams over the next few days, as they have needs to fill, including starting pitching, bullpen help, and potentially first base. They won’t be big spenders, but they still have some money to spend, and have a deep farm system to make a trade if they so choose.
The Winter Meetings are an annual event for Major League Baseball, held every year for a few days each December. This year, the meetings are being held in Nashville, Tennessee from today through December 10th. General Managers and front office staff from all 30 major league teams convene in one location, making it the ideal time and place every year for deals to get done. The Rule 5 Draft is also held at this time, closing out the meetings on the final day. Historically, some trades and signings always take place at this time, but over the past few years, the number of these moves has increased dramatically, culminating last offseason when we saw the Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, and Padres all make big moves. This year, we should expect another busy week with many big names still on the market and available via trade.
As of now, the Pirates haven’t added anyone of significance to their roster. They claimed relief pitchers Guido Knudson and Jorge Rondon off waivers, traded for starting pitcher Allen Webster, and signed first baseman Jake Goebbert. They also cut ties with Pedro Alvarez by non-tendering him and saw Aramis Ramirez retire. The Pirates have only four legitimate pitchers in their starting rotation heading into next season, so the question isn’t whether they’ll improve the rotation but who they will add. With Antonio Bastardo, Joakim Soria, and Joe Blanton likely leaving Pittsburgh via free agency, and with Mark Melancon on the trade block, adding to the bullpen is also a priority. The team could target a first baseman if they don’t want to go with Michael Morse as the full-time option to start next season, and they may add a utility infielder with Sean Rodriguez probably not returning. Clearly Pittsburgh has needs, and I fully expect them to make some noise at these meetings.
So, where do the Pirates stand at the start of the Winter Meetings? As of now, they have been connected to a variety of starters and they have players on the trade block. Mark Melancon could be traded, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him gone by the end of the meetings on Thursday. Closers will be flying around this week, with many teams trading them away, but also many teams wanting to build better bullpens. Could the Red Sox be a match for the Pirates?
Red sox gettin hits on Miley and kelly. They seek pen help.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 6, 2015
The Red Sox have a surplus of starters, which was only added to with the signing of David Price; they’ll be looking to move starters. Joe Kelly had success in St. Louis but is more of a reclamation project after coming off two sub-par seasons, and Wade Miley is also a reclamation project. Both players are still young and neither is making too much money for the Pirates to take on, however. This is a team I would keep an eye on as a Pirates fan.
The Pirates were also previously in discussions with the Orioles about Neil Walker, who they envision could play first base. Walker could fetch a decent return, as good offensive second baseman are hard to come by. He could bring a decent starting pitcher back to Pittsburgh.
But the biggest need for the Pirates is clearly a quality starter. John Perrotto recently noted that left-handed starter Scott Kazmir tops the Pirates’ wish list. Perrotto notes that Kazmir is reportedly seeking a four-year deal in the $50 to $60 million range. If the Pirates pulled the trigger on such a contract, it’d be the largest free agent contract the franchise has ever handed out, topping the three-year, $39 million deal given to Francisco Liriano last offseason. Kazmir has had success the past two seasons with Oakland and Houston, but hadn’t pitched well before that since 2008. If he follows up on the 3.10 and 3.55 ERAs he posted in 2015 and 2014, respectively, he’d be worth the money and would be a quality third starter.
The Pirates have also been connected to Justin Masterson, per Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Pirates are interested in free agent RHP Justin Masterson, likely seeking one-year deal to rebuild value, per source
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) December 1, 2015
Masterson is a reclamation project coming off two seasons where he posted ERAs north of five with Boston, but he had had good seasons previously with Cleveland. Other free agent starters that could be fits with the Pirates include John Lackey, Mike Leake, and Mat Latos, while there are plenty of reclamation project pitchers available, such as Tim Lincecum and Chad Billingsley. Shelby Miller is also on the trade block.
In terms of first base, the Pirates have been mentioned as a possible fit for Mitch Moreland, as the Texas Rangers may have to decide whether to keep Moreland or Mike Napoli. They would be hard-pressed to move Prince Fielder, and they don’t want to keep three first baseman on the roster. Moreland is coming off his best year in the majors in which he batted .278 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs. He’d be an improvement over what Pedro Alvarez brought to the table defensively and could match him offensively if he continues the success he had in 2015.
There aren’t many appealing free agent first base options outside of Chris Davis, who is likely out of the price range for the Pirates. There are some decent options on the trade front, and I expect the Pirates to do their due dilligence in that regard.
There are also plenty of bullpen options available, including Bastardo, Soria, and Blanton, who the Pirates could try to resign, and plenty of trade candidates as teams look to trade off high-priced bullpen pieces. I don’t expect the Pirates to pay a lot for bullpen arms, but I do expect them to add in that area. They’ve found ways to fill the bullpen with low-priced, yet effective arms, and I expect them to do that again. Keep in mind John Holdzkom could find his way back onto the major league roster after battling injuries throughout 2014.
This week is going to be exciting, not just for Pittsburgh Pirates’ fans but across Major League Baseball. Expect the Pirates to be active and make a move or a number of moves during this time, most likely for a starting pitcher. It should be a fun week.
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