Pirates Q&A: More Third Base Talk, An Oneil Cruz Position Change?
Welcome back to another edition of our Pittsburgh Pirates Q&A. Let’s get to your questions.
Who are we getting as a 3rd baseman? – Mark Lercher
Ben Cherington said the Pirates are still looking for a bat (among other additions) and third base is the most logical place to add to the lineup.
The most obvious free agent fit is Eugenio Suárez, who belted 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs last season. I think he can be had on a reasonable two-year deal. On the trade market, Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm is another logical fit if the team across the state looks to shed some salary.
Other possibilities include Yoán Moncada, Josh Jung and Lenyn Sosa among other lesser options.
Any scenario where we get both Jung and Yoshida? – Dean Lipperman
Jung would be a good target but I don’t think the Rangers would be overly eager to move him, though a deal could absolutely be worked out from the Pirates’ end. I don’t see Masataka Yoshida as a fit, though the Red Sox certainly want to move him. He’s 32 (33 in July) and will be paid $18.6 million each of the next two seasons.
Payroll to date? – George Smith
I go to the great Ethan Hullihen for all payroll needs. He’s truly one of the best as what he does. Ethan has the payroll currently just shy of $91.5 million, which is a tick higher than it was last year on Opening Day.
The Pirates should be comfortable adding ~ $20 million more to get to around $110 million in my opinion. Will they? That’s the $20 million question. They’re still looking for another bat, a veteran starter and another bullpen piece.
Since we don’t have anymore pitching to trade at the MLB or upper minor levels, would Phili or Texas be likely to deal Bohm or Jung for minor league pieces like Edgleen Perez or Zander methods or Levi sterling for example. I cant see them wanting Triolo or Gonzales or Yorke or Bart – Timothy Wolfe
I think the Phillies in particular could look for a low-level prospect back if they trade Bohm as a salary dump. But I also think they could have interest in Joey Bart as an affordable option at catcher.
The Rangers do have a need at second base after trading Marcus Semien to the Mets early in the offseason, so Gonzales and Yorke could potentially be of interest. But the Pirates have built a strong farm system and a number of guys could be attractive to Texas, including the names you mentioned.
Is there any chance that Oneil Cruz might be returned to infield………….Before laughing this off- it would help solve the problem of no power hitter on the left side. He makes some big mistakes at ss, BUT he also gets to some plays and has an arm that others cant duplicate. – Robert Looker
I don’t see it happening, Robert. Shortstop, where Cruz played before moving to center field, will soon be occupied by Konnor Griffin for the foreseeable future, and I’m not sure how he’d fare at third base considering he hasn’t played a game there since A ball in 2017.
It would be asking a ton to again have Cruz change positions. Given his speed and arm strength, he has the foundation to turn into a capable center fielder and he has shown flashes at times. But improved effort and concentration will be how he takes the next step out there. The Pirates will see if he can figure it out in center.
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