Floyd: Three Free Agents Pirates Should Target

The 2024 MLB offseason officially began on October 31, the day after the conclusion of the World Series, meaning that the Pittsburgh Pirates can begin augmenting their roster for 2025.

With Paul Skenes looking like one of the best pitchers in the league immediately following his debut—and the clock firmly ticking away on his rookie contract—it’s now or never for this Pirates regime to build a contender. Even if they won’t be in the market for a Juan Soto or a Willy Adames, there are plenty of down-ballot free agent options who could help the Pirates take a step forward in 2025 as they look to make the postseason for the first time in a decade.

Here are three candidates who could be on their radar.

1. Sean Manaea

If the Pirates are serious about building a contender, fleshing out their starting rotation is a good way to show it… especially after the late stages of the last two seasons showed that you can never have enough arms.

Manaea is a left-hander with swing and miss ability (9.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 2024, 8.4 throughout his career). He isn’t a ground ball pitcher but does a good job of keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just one home run per nine innings.

A quality arm who’s a tier or two above the Pirates’ usual free agent acquisitions, Manaea won’t break the bank but can provide tangible improvement… and show that Pittsburgh is serious about maximizing their window.

2. Harrison Bader

Defense has plagued the Pirates for years, and center fielder Harrison Bader provides an excellent remedy. Pittsburgh will need to revamp their outfield, especially with rumors that Bryan Reynolds might switch to first base, and Bader is one of the best defenders in the game, a 2021 Gold Glove winner who accounted for ten outs above average this past season.

He performed poorly at the plate, slashing .236/.284/.373, but can hit 10-15 homers a season while providing premium defense. A down year on offense helped persuade the Mets to decline his $10.5 million club option for 2025, but if he’s in the market for a “prove it” deal, that could bring him into the Pirates’ price range.

3. Travis d’Arnaud

While Joey Bart enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, his 80 games played is a small sample size… and the Pirates have shown a preference for veteran catchers in recent years, signing Austin Hedges and Yasmani Grandal in 2023 and 2024, respectively, to help mentor their young pitchers and provide a capable backstop.

Catcher is an intriguing position for the Pirates, with Bart, former first overall pick Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez all in the mix. Even with that logjam, things could change in a hurry if the Pirates give up on Davis, Bart regresses or Rodríguez hits another speed bump in his return from Tommy John surgery.

As with Hedges and Grandal, the Pirates haven’t shied away from blocking young, developing talent with veterans in the past, and there are still plenty of question marks surrounding the catchers currently on the roster. d’Arnaud provides some extra pop at a position best known for defense. I wouldn’t expect Pittsburgh to start out this offseason in the market for a catcher, but trades or poor spring training performances could change an already-messy situation in a hurry.