Potential Non-Roster Options For Pirates to Consider (+)
It’s been a busy offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates and general manager Ben Cherington. The team has been active on both the free agent and trade fronts and have made a handful of additions to the club to try and improve for 2023.
Because the Pirates have already so active, they are just about done making external additions to the club, at least when it comes to guaranteed deals anyway.
At Andrew McCutchen’s press conference last week, Cherington hinted that the club expects to add some non-roster invitees to the mix in the coming weeks leading up to spring training.
“[We’d] still like to add. It may be more likely non-roster at this point just looking to add some depth in different areas. We are engaged with some players on non-roster deals,” Cherington said.
Let’s explore some potential options.
SS Jose Iglesias
Iglesias, a veteran shortstop makes sense for a number of reasons for the club.
For starters, outside of Oneil Cruz, the Pirates don’t currently have a natural shortstop who projects to make the club’s opening day roster.
Shortstop is a tough position to play and it’s impossible to ask Cruz to play every day at the position for 162 games without getting a day of rest from the field.
In addition to filling a need, there’s some familiarity with Iglesias and Cherington. Iglesias’ first three big league seasons came with the Red Sox while Cherington was a part of Boston’s front office.
Last season with Colorado, Iglesias hit .292 with a .708 OPS and 30 doubles while appearing in 116 games at short.
SS Andrelton Simmons
When it comes to discussing the best defensive players in baseball in recent history, Simmons is squarely in the mix.
The 33-year-old is a four-time gold glove recipient and took home a Platinum Glove in 2013.
Looking at active players, Simmons ranks first in defensive WAR. Since debuting in 2012, Simmons leads all players with 200 defensive runs saved, 45 DRS more than the next closest player.
Like Iglesias, Simmons could help reduce Cruz’s workload at shortstop and could provide some infield versatility.
It was a rough year for Simmons last season with the Cubs. He hit just .173 in 34 games and could be looking for any opportunity that comes his way to try and bounce back.
C Roberto Perez
The Pirates signed Perez to a one-year contract last offseason and backstop impressed before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.
In 21 games before his injury, Perez hit .233 with an even .700 OPS and a pair of home runs.
The Pirates’ pitching staff raved about Perez’s game calling abilities behind the plate and he was a player the staff enjoyed working with.
Still on the free agent market, Perez may have to settle for a non-roster deal. With the familiarity already in place, a reunion with Pittsburgh could make sense.
The Pirates signed Austin Hedges earlier in the offseason and brought back Tyler Heineman on an NRI deal, but could be open to more depth and competition at the position.
RHP Dominic Leone
A team can never have enough pitching depth and Leone offers a fairly intriguing, yet low-risk relief option for the Pirates.
Leone spent the last two seasons with the San Francisco Giants. He was excellent in 2021, posting a 1.51 ERA in in 57 appearances on the season.
The right-hander took a step back last season, but was still effective. He posted a 4.01 ERA in 55 appearances before he was released towards the end of the year.
Foe his career, Leone 21-20 with a 3.69 ERA/3.91 FIP and has recorded seven saves.
The 31-year-old would have a shot to crack the Bucs’ opening day roster with a good spring if the club were to sign him.
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