The Pittsburgh Pirates have been busy this offseason. Between trading Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox for top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and pursuing Kyle Schwarber in free agency, they’ve already made some big moves, and they’re just getting started.
After missing out on Schwarber, the Pirates must pivot to other ways to improve their lineup for next season after ranking last in scoring this year.
At the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington spoke with Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday about how he plans to do that.
“We’ve got a lot of hooks in the water,” Cherington told Mackey. “We’re gonna keep going. We’re gonna keep working hard to find the right fits for this team. Confident we’re gonna add to the position player group. We’re pursuing free agency, we’re pursuing trades.”
When Mackey asked what kind of players Cherington is looking for specifically, Cherington said he’s focused on improving the offense with depth and established bats.
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“Deepen out the offensive group is the obvious thing. We would love to add some certainty to the lineup, guys that have done the big leagues,” Cherington said. “Also just want to add as much depth as we possibly could…Garcia was a step towards that. We’re certainly not done, going after other stuff too.”
The Pirates could certainly use both after ranking near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories last season. They were on the right track with Schwarber and acquiring Garcia was a good start, but he has only five games of MLB experience and is still unproven.
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Accordingly, adding multiple proven bats this winter and lengthening the lineup, either via trade or free agency, will be key for Pittsburgh.
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