Pirates Ranked Amongst Worst Teams After Winter Meetings

He also sees the Pirates finally spending some money and landing free agents later on, which would bolster a poor lineup.

"It might be an exciting time? Even with Jared Jones still recovering from elbow surgery, the Pirates' Paul Skenes-led rotation is ripe with potential," Doolittle wrote.

"Konnor Griffin is still only 19 with just 21 games at Double-A under his belt, but as the consensus top prospect in the game, he carries the promise of a looming Skenes-like impact on the position side.

"On top of all that, the Pirates might actually spend some money. With a lineup that currently projects to feature only three above-average hitters, upgrading should not be difficult."

What Moves Have the Pirates Made so Far?

The only main move the Pirates made during the Winter Meetings was sign left-handed relief pitcher Gregory Soto on a one-year, $7.75 million contract on Dec. 9, with it officially going into place on Dec. 15.

The Pirates need left-handed relievers and Soto fills a role at the backend of their bullpen or next season.

Pittsburgh also made a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 4, sending right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo and prospects in left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman for top 100 outfield prospect Jhostynxon García and 18-year old right-handed pitcher Jesus Travieso.

Another interesting move they made including claiming former top prospect Marco Luciano off of waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

Where do the Pirates Need to Make Improvements?

The Pirates were one of the worst hitting teams in baseball last season, with the lowest slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655), the third lowest batting average (.231) and the eighth lowest on-base percentage (.305).

Pittsburgh also scored the least runs (583) and drove in the least RBIs (561), both lower than the 43-119 Colorado Rockies. They also hit the least home runs (117), 31 home runs less than then second-lowest team in the St. Louis Cardinals at 148 home runs, and had the seventh most strikeouts (1,422).

The Pirates targeted players like Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Polanco, Pete Alonso and Josh Naylor, who all would've provided power and a veteran presence in the locker room, but they all signed elsewhere.

Other free agents the Pirates have interest in and are still have available to them, include sluggers in Japanese stars in Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto, plus Ryan O'Hearn, catcher J.T. Realmuto and utility man Willi Castro.

If the Pirates aren't successful in free agency, the trade market will have serve as their main option for improving the lineup.

The Pirates have trade interest with their rival in the St. Louis Cardinals, who have left-handed batters in Alec Burleson , Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar.

Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets are veteran, left-handed hitting second baseman, who can hit for power.

Nick Castellanos is in the last year of his contract with the Phillies and the right-handed bat does have power that the Pirates could want, but has also seen his numbers decline in recent seasons.

Luis Robert Jr. is a player the Pirates have shown trade interest before, especially at the 2024 deadline, and is someone they are reportedly targeting this offseason. Robert is a solid fielder and a threat on the basepaths.