What Spencer Horwitz Brings to Pirates and What Could Be Next (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first notable move of the offseason when they acquired first baseman Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians late Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
Horwitz was acquired by the Guardians from the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the day and was flipped to Pittsburgh for three pitchers. The most notable name headed across state lines is right-hander Luis Ortiz, who had a solid season with the Pirates in 2024. Prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle also also made up the package.
The acquisition gives the Pirates a potential long-term solution at first base, a position the Pirates have had trouble filling for a long time.
Horwitz is only 112 games into his big-league career after making his MLB debut in 2023. He’s put together a respectable .264/.355/.428 batting line with 21 doubles, 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.
What does he do well? For starters, he brings an ability to get on base, a trait the Pirates need after finishing tied for 25th in the league in on-base percentage this past season. In his career, he’s walked in nearly 11% of his plate appearances.
Horwitz also mashes against right-hander pitching, and his left-handed swing figures to play well with the hitter-friendly right-field layout at PNC Park. In his career against left-handed pitching, Horwitz has hit .283 with an .852 OPS and all 13 of his big-league home runs.
But one element that Horwitz does lack as a first baseman is legitimate power. His ceiling is likely closer to a 20-homerun season as opposed to a 30-home run season, but perhaps his power numbers will improve with half of his games being played at PNC Park.
His defensive abilities have at least been adequate so far in his career. He totaled minus-one defensive runs saved in 41 games at first base in 2024 and was in the 78th-percentile in outs above average.
But in Horwtiz, the Pirates are getting someone many high-ranking officials in the organization are familiar with. General manager Ben Cherington and assistant GM Steve Sanders worked in the Blue Jays’ front office when he was drafted in the 24th round in 2019. New Pirates’ hitting coach worked with Horwtiz in the big leagues last season and in the minor leagues before that.
Given the cost it took the Pirates to land his services, it’s clear that the club views him as an answer at first base. Ortiz logged 135.2 meaningful innings for the Pirates last season and both Kennedy and Hartle ranked inside our Pirates’ top 30 prospects list.
The deal also shows an aggressiveness from Cherington, a development that hadn’t necessarily been seen in past offseasons in Pittsburgh.
With one hole on the roster now filled, the Pirates still have work to do.
What Comes Next for Pirates?
Horwitz is on his rookie deal and isn’t yet arbitration-eligible, so the Pirates added an upgrade to the lineup for almost no cost.
Because of this, the Pirates could allocate significant dollars — at least by their standards — to other areas that need addressed on the roster.
While Horwitz helps lengthen the Pirates’ lineup, they can look to add a more impactful hitter in the form of a corner outfielder. Pittsburgh needs someone to flank Oneil Cruz’s right or left, along with Bryan Reynolds, after Connor Joe and Bryan De La Cruz were both non-tendered earlier last month.
In free agency, there are a handful of options who could make sense for the Pirates. These names include Austin Hays, Max Kepler, Alex Verdugo, Jesse Winker and others.
The Pirates will also need to upgrade the bullpen and bring in at least one left-handed relief option. There is no shortage of free agents still on the market that the Pirates could look towards to do so.
And while the Pirates still have strong depth in the starting rotation, the void left by Ortiz’s departure could open the door to the Pirates looking to add a back-end starting pitcher between now and the start of spring training.
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