Perrotto: Three Free Agents Pirates Should Target

This is the third and final installment in a series of articles where the PBN staff list their top free agents that the Pittsburgh Pirates should target this offseason.

There have been rumblings around baseball since the end of the season that Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting might allow general manager Ben Cherington to be a player in free agency.

No, the Pirates aren’t going to pursue Juan Soto, even though he claims he is open to signing with any of the 30 MLB teams. However, there is a sense that the Pirates might be in play for middle-tier type players instead of waiting out the market and seeing who is left over in January and February.

Of course, we’ll believe it when we see it. Except for bringing back Andrew McCutchen for the 2023 season, the Pirates haven’t signed a significant free agent since agreeing with Francisco Liriano on a three-year, $39-million contract following the 2013 season.

Regardless, here are three free agents I would like to see the Pirates pursue.

Paul Goldschmidt

The Pirates have rarely had a legitimate big-league first baseman since Cherington took over for Neal Huntington following the 2019 season. Not surprisingly, they are looking to fill that hole again.

Left fielder Bryan Reynolds spent time working out at first base during pre-game drills late last season. The Pirates downplayed the significance, but it is hard to believe Reynolds would be taking that many ground balls just for fun.

However, we’ll take the Pirates at their word that Reynolds is still the left fielder. That means they need to find a first baseman again after releasing Rowdy Tellez at the beginning of the final week of last season and preventing him from reaching a $200,000 performance bonus based on plate appearances.

Paul Goldschmidt is certainly on the downside of his career. He is 37 years old and coming off a season in which he hit .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 154 games for the St. Louis Cardinals.

While that was a bad year for the seven-time All-Star, it would have represented a significant upgrade at first base for the Pirates. Goldschmidt would also bring another veteran presence to the clubhouse beside McCutchen, who apparently will return in 2025.

Goldschmidt has never played in a World Series and likely wants to sign with a surefire contender. However, if his options are limited, maybe he would come to Pittsburgh.

And you’ve got to love a guy whose nickname is America’s First Baseman?

Carlos Estevez

Implosions by the Pirates’ bullpen helped fuel a 10-game losing streak in August that killed their postseason aspirations. David Bednar had a subpar year and Colin Holderman went from potential All-Star at the end of June to unreliable for most of the second half of the season.

The Pirates need to add relief pitching. As Jim Tracy might say, it would behoove them to find someone who could move into the closer’s role if Bednar does not bounce back in 2025 – or gets non-tendered later this month.

Estevez had 31 saves in 2023 for the Los Angeles Angels and 26 in 2024 with the Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. The 31-year-old’s 2.45 ERA this past season was the best of his nine-year career.

Estevez would bolster the backend of the bullpen and give the Pirates some needed closer insurance. He also has some charisma, which would be a welcome addition to a dull team.

Tomoyuki Sugano

It has been almost three decades since Hideo Nomo began the stream of quality pitchers who have made the jump from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB with his standout rookie season in 1995 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Pirates have never got heavily involved in the Japanese pitching market.

Masumi Kuwata was an NPB legend and a wonderful guy. However, he was 39 years old when he came to the Pirates in 2007 and had a 9.43 ERA in 19 relief appearances.

Tomoyuki Sugano is 35 and is posted by the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants so he can sign with an MLB team this winter. While Sagano is older, he had an outstanding season this year with a 15-3 record and a 1.67 ERA in 24 starts.

Starting pitching is the Pirates’ strength. Yet it wouldn’t hurt to bolster the starter depth and use some of the excess to trade for hitters.

Plus, it would be fun to see up close as Sugano realizes his dream of pitching in the big leagues.