Who Will Take the Pirates’ 'Naylor Money'?

After rumblings that the Pittsburgh Pirates were hoping to up their payroll heading into the 2026 season, fans were finally given some more hard evidence for this on November 18. As always, Jeff Passan’s recent offseason preview article produced multiple bombshell reports that most people didn’t see coming.

The first was the report that the Pirates actively tried to land Josh Naylor before he returned to the Mariners on a five-year deal. The most notable piece of this report, though, was that the Pirates were willing to more than double their previous largest free-agent deal of three years, $39 million (Francisco Liriano).

Also, later in the piece, Passan slipped in a minor detail that was much larger than it appeared in the story: The Pittsburgh Pirates are in on Schwarber.

This bombshell is even more confirmation that the Pirates are willing to spend like they never have before this offseason, huge news for the sport and the city of Pittsburgh.

Now that we know for sure that the Pirates are serious about spending, we’re left wondering: Who will take the Pirates’ money that they were offering Naylor? Let’s dive in and take a look at five bigger players who might be legitimate suitors in Pittsburgh.

Kyle Schwarber

If you had told me that the Pirates were actually potential suitors for Kyle Schwarber during the season, I probably would’ve done nothing but laugh.

However, thanks to Passan, we know this is a serious possibility.

Schwarber’s 2025 season was nothing short of dominant. He slugged 56 home runs, finished second in NL MVP voting, and won All-Star Game MVP. Following this fantastic season, Schwarber is back on the market and projected to make a handsome amount of money.

The Pirates may have a trickier time convincing Schwarber to sign in Pittsburgh if a contender is willing to commit the same amount of money on the market. Given this, the Pirates will likely have to overpay a little bit, which will really test just how willing they are to spend if given the opportunity to do so.

However, the thought of Schwarber hitting balls into the Allegheny is an exciting one.

He’d have a shot to be the first 30-homer hitter since Josh Bell in 2019 and bring some much-needed slugging to this lineup. If they can land Schwarber, they’d instantly be one step closer to postseason contention in 2026.

Eugenio Suárez

The 2025 season was a tale of two halves for Eugenio Suárez. He became one of only 21 players to hit four homers in a single game, while also posting some unreal power numbers during the first half of the season. However, he struggled following his move back to Seattle.

Suárez’s season was very impressive as a whole, though. He tied his career high for home runs with 49, while also posting a 125 wRC+ and 3.8 fWAR. He’s one of the most coveted bats this offseason, and he’d be a perfect opportunity for the Pirates to add some slugging to their lineup if they’re serious about adding to the payroll.

He’s likely to receive a two to three-year contract at around $20-25 million per year in free agency. While this is a significant sum of money for the Pirates to commit to one player, early indications were that they were looking to add $40 million to next year’s payroll.

As we established with Schwarber, the Pirates also desperately need to add some power to their lineup, as they only had one player finish the season with 20 or more home runs. Suárez could fit well into the lineup, also giving the team the ability to move Jared Triolo around the infield while they wait for prospects like Konnor Griffin to make their way to the big leagues.

Jorge Polanco

Out of all the players we’ll go over in this story, Jorge Polanco is probably going to be the cheapest option for the Pirates to target. Taking this into consideration, he may be the most realistic fit for the team.

This season, Polanco slashed .265/.326/.495 with 26 homers and a 132 wRC+, which allowed him to return to the top of the second base position. Due to his performance this season, it comes as no real surprise that Polanco declined his $8 million player option.

Polanco is projected to make between $10-16 million per year this offseason, likely landing a deal somewhere between one and three years. Polanco could fill multiple roles for the Pirates, as his 132 wRC+ would’ve been the best mark on the team by a decent margin this season. With a relatively open infield, he’ll slot in at second base with ease.

The Pirates may look to go a larger direction this offseason due to the early reports we’ve seen, but if not, Polanco is a tremendous option for the club at second base. He’s one of the best bang-for-your-buck free agents, and there’s a good chance the Pirates are all over him this winter.

Kazuma Okamoto

If the Pirates are looking to add some serious thump to their lineup this offseason, there’s a pair of Japanese sluggers coming over that could be perfect fits. The first of these is Kazuma Okamoto.

While Munetaka Murakami has gotten most of the attention from fans this season due to his tremendous power, there’s actually a good chance that Okamoto is the safer option. He’s slugged 30 or more home runs in all but two of his seasons in NPB, regularly posting a wRC+ above 130 as well.

Despite potentially being the safer option between the two, Okamoto will be significantly cheaper to add. There’s a good chance he only fetches between $12-17 million per season on a deal between three and five years. Given his status as one of the most prolific power threats in Japan, this seems like a bargain.

Okamoto has a chance to be the perfect solution to the Pirates’ lack of significant power. He could immediately slot in at a corner infield position, giving the Pirates a ton of flexibility. He also plays elite defense, meaning he won’t be a concern wherever he ends up.

Munetaka Murakami

After MLB fans got a look at Munetaka Murakami during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, fans and teams alike were counting down the days until he was set to come to the States. The day has finally come, and he could fit well with the Pirates.

Although it slipped a little more under the radar during the bombshell article from Passan, the Pirates were also named as potential suitors for Murakami. Although they’ll be up against some tough competition from the Mets, Red Sox, and a range of other suitors, this is definitely noteworthy.

Despite some legitimate holes in his swing along with some strikeout concerns, Murakami has been one of NPB’s best power hitters in recent memory. He even hit 56 home runs back in 2022, showing just how much power he brings to a lineup. After slugging .663 last season, he could be exactly the type of power bat the Bucs are hoping to land.

It’s pretty clear that Murakami makes sense for the Pirates, but the question still comes back to their willingness to spend. If they’re open to committing a large sum of money to Murakami, though, it could create an electric pairing.