Bleacher Report released their opening day lineup predictions for all 30 teams, and they have the Pittsburgh Pirates landing veteran outfielder Adam Duvall.
Duvall spent the 2023 season with the Boston Red Sox after he was signed to a one-year contract as a free agent last winter.
The 35-year-old was productive in 92 games in his lone season in Boston. Duvall ended the year with a .247/.303/.531 slash with 24 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.
For his career, Duvall has essentially been a league-average player with a .763 OPS across 10 seasons. He was a Gold Glove recipient in 2021 en route to winning the World Series with the Atlanta Braves and was named an All-Star in 2016. In addition to the Red Sox and Braves, Duvall has spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins.
Duvall has previous experience in all three outfield positions. Most of his time has come in left field, where he’s accumulated 52 defensive runs saved in his career. Last season, most of Duvall’s defensive work came in center field, where he did not make any errors but posted minus-five DRS in 61 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has said that the Pirates would still like to add to their position player group this winter.
“We would still like to add to our position player group,” said Cherington when speaking to members of the media over Zoom last month. “We feel good that we can go into the season with the group we have, but we don’t want to be satisfied with that, either. We want to keep hunting for upside, both in the rotation and in the position player group.”
Duvall fits the Pirates both due to his profile and price tag. Even after the team acquired outfielder Edward Olivares, they should still be looking for defensive help in the outfield. Along with his adequate abilities as a defender, the Pirates would be getting a boost to their lineup.
In Bleacher Report’s projected lineup, they have Duvall in right field and batting sixth behind fellow outfielder Jack Suwinski.
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