Pirates Q&A: Will Top Free Agents Ever Choose Pittsburgh?
Welcome back to another edition of our Pittsburgh Pirates Q&A. Let’s get to your questions.
Will [Termarr Johnson] end his career with any MLB at-bats?…thanks – @waywaylarge
Yes, Johnson will one day make it to the big leagues whether that’s with the Pirates or another team. They could theoretically use him as a trade chip, but Johnson will get big league at-bats. Most first-rounders do.
But let me take a minute to address why I’m still higher on Johnson than most. Is he exactly what the Pirates thought they were getting when they drafted him fourth overall in 2023? No, but how could any then-teenager who had areas of his game already being compared to Hall of Famers Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Wade Boggs?
But Johnson has been a consistently well above-average producer every level he’s been at despite always being one of the youngest players on the field. He also improved drastically against left-handed pitching in 2025 with Double-A Altoona.
Where he will play defensively is a bigger question. I’m definitely higher on his bat than on his glove. But I still think he has a chance to be a solid contributor in the big leagues.
When are they going to get a third basemen or is that out of the question? – Lee Crisman
The biggest (and only good) remaining free agent domino fell when Eugenio Suárez signed with the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates tried to land him but weren’t able to get it across the finish line.
The remaining options on the free agent market are bleak and don’t offer a clearly better alternative than the Pirates currently have in-house. If they want to make a real upgrade, Ben Cherington will have to work out a trade with another club.
But the Pirates are still trying hard to land another bat. Will it be a third baseman? It could be, but the chances aren’t as high as they were a couple weeks ago. But expect at least one more hitter to be added before Opening Day next month.
Can we just tell Cutch that we love him, and then tell him “ your services are no longer needed”…?? – George Getlak
In one sense, it kind of feels like the Pirates are doing this already. I’m not saying there’s zero chance Andrew McCutchen will be brought back, but the indication right now is the Pirates are looking elsewhere.
I made the argument for the Pirates to sign him to a final one-year deal for 2026. But I get the other side of the argument and wouldn’t fault Cherington if he chose to go in another direction. My biggest takeaway is that it’s a shame things have come to this point.
Do you think that any top free agent will ever wanna come to Pittsburgh as long as Bob Nutting is the owner? – Lee Bond
If you’re talking about the very top of the market the answer is no as long as Nutting is at the helm and as long as the current economic structure is in place. The Pirates will never sign the Shohei Ohtanis or Juan Sotos of the world.
But even a tier or two lower on the market, the Pirates are behind the 8-ball and Nutting is the main reason. Yes, Ryan O’Hearn chose to come to Pittsburgh which was a good move. But the Pirates were spurned by Suárez and Kyle Schwarber despite equal (or even better) offers.
Why? It’s because the Pirates have developed a reputation around the league as a team not serious about winning. It’s hard to justify the alternative to that statement. At the very least, Pittsburgh has made some effort to improve this offseason but not at the level of the goal being to make the playoffs “period, full-stop” as described.
But until the Pirates break the hump, return to the postseason and continue to show they’re consistently serious about winning, they’ll continue to get overlooked by notable free agents.