PITTSBURGH — First base was the first item on the Pirates’ offseason to-do list. After acquiring three players — including veteran Carlos Santana, who is expected to finalize a $6.725 million contract by midweek — general manager Ben Cherington will shift his focus to the outfield and pitching staff.
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The Pirates got minus-3 fWAR from their first basemen last season. There aren’t any great, major-league-ready internal options. Cherington moved quickly this month to shore up the position via free agency (Santana), a trade (Ji-Man Choi) and a waiver claim (Lewin Díaz).
Of the three, Santana, 36, should have the biggest impact. Last season, he batted .202/.316/.376 with 19 home runs and was solid defensively for the Royals and Mariners. A 13-year veteran, Santana has a reputation as an outstanding clubhouse leader and mentor — ingredients the Pirates have lacked in recent years amid all of their roster turnover.
Could the Pirates be setting up for a platoon at first base next season? A switch-hitter, Santana, has produced a .276/.377/.443 split against left-handed pitchers. Choi, who bats left-handed, has a .247/.356/454 split and has hit 57 of his 61 career homers against right-handed pitchers.
“We want to improve – no, not just want to — we need to improve the offense,” Cherington said. “The first base/DH thing comes up because it’s clear there’s a lot of opportunity there, a lot of playing time at those spots. If there’s an opportunity with an outfielder that helps improve our offense … we want to stay open-minded.”
Miguel Andújar now seems likely to be used mostly as an outfielder and a designated hitter. Earlier this month, Andújar, 27, avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.525 million contract.
It wouldn’t hurt to add another veteran outfielder, especially with Cherington dodging questions about how much longer Bryan Reynolds will remain with the club. Ryan Vilade, who was claimed off waivers Nov. 9, probably figures to be a depth piece.
The Pirates might be willing to take a shot on Joey Gallo, 29, who’s spent the past three seasons trying to get his career on track.
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In 2019, Gallo batted .253/.389/.598 with 22 homers for the Rangers. Since then, he’s hit .183/.319/.409 with a 36 percent strikeout rate. Gallo is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and bats left-handed.
A one-year pillow contract — Gallo’s agent, Scott Boras, invented the term for a bottom-line deal for a player who’s trying to resuscitate his career — could be a good fit for the Pirates, who then could hope to flip Gallo at the trade deadline.
Pitching figures to be Cherington’s top remaining priority. Three pieces of the 2023 rotation — Roansy Contreras, Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker — are in place.
The list of internal candidates for the final two spots has zero left-handers — and a lot of question marks. Can Bryse Wilson turn it around? Can Johan Oviedo be effective in the strike zone? Does Miguel Yajure deserve another shot? Is Luis Ortiz ready for a full season in the majors?
“We believe in our young group of starting pitchers, and I’m including Keller and Brubaker in there as young,” Cherington said. “We believe in the chance they have to keep getting better together, but we would like to add to the rotation.”
Don’t be shocked if Cherington imports two experienced starters before spring training.
According to a source, the Pirates have “genuine and ongoing interest” in free agent Kyle Gibson. Cherington recently had a video call with the 35-year-old right-hander, who has pitched for the Twins (2013 to 2019), Rangers (2020-2021) and Phillies (2021-2022). Gibson is a workhorse who could fill a back-of-rotation spot.
Last season, Gibson was second on the Phillies’ staff with 31 starts and went 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA. He allowed 24 home runs, fourth-most in the National League.
As a rookie, Gibson threw mostly sinkers. This year, his usage of that pitch dropped to a career-low 28 percent as the cutter and the slider became bigger parts of his arsenal.
Gibson threw the cutter 21.3 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the NL. It’s been a good pitch for him, producing a 37 percent ground-ball rate and a 25 percent called strike/whiff rate.
The Pirates also are interested in bringing back lefty José Quintana, sources told The Athletic. Quintana, 33, was superb (6-7, 2.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) this year over 32 starts with the Pirates and Cardinals.
Quintana’s $2 million pillow contract last season was a win-win for the player and team — he set the bar a lot higher for his next deal and the Pirates acquired Oviedo and slugger Malcom Nuñez by trading Quintana and Chris Stratton to the Cardinals.
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It would take significant dollars (from the Pirates’ perspective) to sign three free agents such as Gallo, Gibson and Quintana. Then again, most of the guys on the 40-man roster will make close to the minimum salary in 2023 and — if the Pirates truly are moving closer to becoming a contender — the payroll can only go up from here. At the end of the 2022 season, the Pirates’ payroll was about $59 million, an increase of $12 million from 2021.
Is ownership finally ready to signal a turnaround by opening its wallet? Cherington didn’t get into specifics, other than to say he expects the payroll will go up next season.
“We truthfully don’t know what our payroll number is gonna be next year,” Cherington said. “Even if we did know, I’m not sure it’s in our interest to share it. …
“Whatever the number ends up being is secondary to all the other stuff we’re focused on this offseason, which is making the team better, whether that’s through internal improvement or finding the right acquisitions.”
(Top photo of Kyle Gibson: Bill Streicher / USA Today)