Other Small-Market Teams Are Spending; Why Aren’t The Pirates? (+)
The Los Angeles Dodgers made headline news when they signed two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting 10-year contract worth $700 million.
It’s nothing new for the mighty Dodgers, or any of the big market teams for that matter. Teams such as the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets and other high-payroll clubs don’t shy away from breaking out the checkbook this time of year.
While the teams located in major cities continue to spend, there are a handful of the smaller-market teams that have made some splashes in free agency. The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t included in that group — at least not yet.
The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the more active teams this winter. They got off to an early start when they brought back catcher Luke Maile on a one-year deal in October. That agreement was only the tip of the iceberg.
Since they offseason has started, Cincinnati has signed starter Nick Martinez and reliever Emilio Pagán to two-year deals (both come with opt-outs). The Reds then splurged on a three-year deal worth $45 million on corner infielder Jeimer Candelario. That deal can get to four years and $60 million if a fourth-year option is exercised.
Adding up the totals of all four agreements, Cincinnati has dished out $90.5 million so far on their quartet of signings. They aren’t alone.
The Kansas City Royals already signed starting pitcher Seth Lugo for three years and $45 million. That deal eclipses the largest free agent contract ever handed out by the Pirates — Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39 million deal from 2014.
Even with Lugo in the mix, the Royals continued to add to their rotation. They are in agreement with right-hander Michael Wacha on a two-year deal worth $32 million. Both pitches made sense as fits for the Pirates.
Kansas City also agreed to a deal with former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Chris Stratton on Tuesday, and agreed to a two-year $13 million deal with outfielder Hunter Renfroe. Earlier in the offseason, they made smaller signings in lefty relief pitcher Will Smith and utility man Garrett Hampson.
The Royals are coming off of a disastrous 106-loss season and currently have what is considered to be one of the worst farm systems in baseball, yet they’re still paying for free agents.
Why aren’t the Pirates? Coming off of a 14-win improvement in 2023, it seems like a logical time for owner Bob Nutting to be willing to invest in the on-field product at levels we have not seen since current general manager Ben Cherington has been in charge.
So far, the only moves of note for the Pirates have been low-cost additions. It all began with the acquisition of starter Marco Gonzales, whose watered-down salary will only leave the Pirates on the hook for only $3 million.
Then on Tuesday, the team agreed to a one-year deal with free agent first baseman Rowdy Tellez for $3.2 million with the chance to earn up to $4 million through incentives. Tellez had been non-tendered earlier in the offseason by the Brewers. His salary is significantly less than the Pirates spent on a free agent first baseman last winter in Carlos Santana’s $6.75 million deal.
The Pirates again added a player on Friday via trade, proving they’ve been active. Again though, it’s a small salary getting added to the payroll. The Bucs acquired outfielder/designated hitter Edward Olivares from the Kansas City Royals for an infield prospect. Olivares is projected for $1.8 million by MLB Trade Rumors in arbitration.
With all of that being said, it is still relatively early in the offseason. The Pirates still have plenty of time to add players through free agency and trades, and they undoubtably will. Perhaps the smaller deals to date are setting the stage for more lavish acquisitions later.
But as the big spenders pivot to the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger now that Ohtani is off the board, the smaller-market teams continue to find deals in the middle-tier of the free agent market.
Plenty of Pirates’ targets are still on the board. Pittsburgh has been linked to starting pitchers such as Lucas Giolito, Mike Clevinger and Yariel Rodríguez. Those three — and some other logical fits –remain on the market, so it’s not time to panic just yet.
But as the offseason marches on, Nutting will need to prove he is willing to get out of his comfort zone when it comes to spending. The Pirates have clear needs in the starting rotation in addition to seeking outfield help and looking to upgrade the roster in other areas.
At some point, they will need to strike. There understandably doesn’t seem to be a lot of faith within the fanbase that the Pittsburgh Pirates will hand out significant paychecks, and why should there be?
But all indications are that the Pirates will increase payroll next season, as they should. When might that happen? By how much will payroll increase? Those are the million dollar (or more) questions.
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