How Pirates’ Offseason Compares to Rest of National League Central

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t alone in shying away from signing free agents so far this winter. The other four teams in the National League Central all have yet to make noise on the free agent market.

It’s been a relatively quiet winter in the division so far. The Chicago Cubs are my winners of the first half of the offseason, and it isn’t particularly close, either.

Despite the overall lack of free agent signings, there have been several notable moves within the Pirates’ division. Heading into 2025, it feels as though there is no clear favorite to be crowned National League Central champions unlike some other divisions.

As of now, a case could probably be made for any of the five teams with certain teams (Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers) having the strongest arguments.

With that being said, each team still has work to do this winter. But here’s what each club has done so far.

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Acquired RHP Peter Strzelecki from the Guardians for cash
• Acquired 1B Spencer Horwitz from the Guardians for RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Michael Kennedy and LHP Josh Hartle
• Acquired INF Enmanuel Valdez from the Red Sox for RHP Joe Vogatsky
• Signed DH Andrew McCutchen to a one-year, $5M deal

The Pirates addressed their biggest need at first base by landing Horwitz, a largely unproven player who comes with some upside. Adding depth to the bullpen was important and Valdez presents a fairly-intriguing depth option for the infield. It wasn’t a surprise to see McCutchen return either.

Chicago Cubs

• Acquired RHP Eli Morgan from the Guardians for OF Alfonsin Rosario
• Acquired C Matt Thaiss from the Angels (then traded to the White Sox)
• Signed LHP Matt Boyd to a two-year, $29M deal
• Acquired OF Kyle Tucker from the Astros for INF Isaac Paredes, RHP Hayden Wesneski and INF Cam Smith
• Signed C Carson Kelly to a two-year, $11.5M deal
• Acquired RHP Cody Poteet from the Yankees for OF/1B Cody Bellinger and cash

The Cubs added a major boost to their lineup in acquiring Tucker, an All-Star in each of the last three seasons. Morgan is a strong addition to the bullpen, Boyd is penciled into the starting rotation and Kelly will split time with Miguel Amaya behind the plate.

Cincinnati Reds

• Re-signed LHP Brent Suter to a one-year, $2.5M deal
• RHP Nick Martinez accepted qualifying offer worth $21.05M
• Acquired RHP Brady Singer from the Royals for INF Jonathan India and OF Joey Wiemer
• Acquired C Jose Trevino from the Yankees for RHP Fernando Cruz and C Alex Jackson

The Reds started the offseason by brining back a par of arms — Suter for the bullpen and Martinez in the starting rotation. They also executed one of the first notable trades of the offseason in landing Singer to join Martinez in what looks to be a solid rotation. Trevino will backup Tyler Stephenson behind the plate.

Milwaukee Brewers

• Signed LHP Grant Wolfram to major-league deal
• Acquired LHP Nestor Cortes Jr. and INF Caleb Durbin from the Yankees for RHP Devin Williams

The Brewers parted with closer Devin Williams but netted Cortes to shore up their rotation and Durbin, an interesting infield prospect. Their only MLB signing so far is Wolfram, a career minor-league reliever with big strikeout totals and an equally as big 6-foot-8 frame.

St. Louis Cardinals

• No MLB deals

It’s been a quiet winter for the Cardinals who are still waiting on their first trade or free agent signing. They had a deal in place to send third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Astros but the 33-year-old used his no-trade clause to axe the deal.