Pittsburgh Pirates Free Agent Wishlist

What do Pirates fans want most? To spend money, of course! Last offseason we saw the Pirates sign multiple players like Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, and others. What was the outcome of doing that? We won 76 games, the most wins since 2018. The roster has a lot of holes in it heading into the offseason. Free agency could help a lot with filling these holes in the roster. So, the real question now is who should Ben Cherington sign this offseason?

Rhys Hoskins

The first player I think the Pirates should target in free agency is first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Despite missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL, Hoskins brings a lot of offensive value to the first base position. Not the best defender, but his bat makes up for it as he has hit 148 home runs and 405 runs batted in, in just six seasons. 

Pittsburgh must secure a first baseman if they want to contend. Connor Joe was decent for stretches of time but cannot be an everyday starter. Rhys Hoskins makes the most sense as he will not be too expensive but will still be very productive. 

Michael Lorenzen 

Pitching. The Pirates desperately need pitching. Michael Lorenzen is a 31-year-old right-handed pitcher that would significantly improve the Pirates starting rotation. After spending a season with the Tigers and Phillies, Lorenzen is seeking a deal with a new team. The Pirates need to make a splash in the pitching market this offseason and it needs to include a multiple-year deal with Michael Lorenzen. 

In Lorenzen's career, he has posted a 4.11 earned run average and 602 strikeouts in 724 innings pitched. In the early years of his career, Lorenzen was mainly a relief pitcher but has transitioned into a starting pitcher. In 2023, Lorenzen was outstanding with the Tigers with a 3.58 earned run average, but with the Phillies, he had a 5.51 earned run average. Definitely struggled in Philly, but nonetheless would help the Pirates improve next season.

Julio Teheran 

I cannot stress the pitching shortage in the Pirates organization enough. The Pirates need to bolster their pitching staff and adding Julio Teheran to the end of their rotation would be a big get. Teheran, 32, pitched in 2023 with the Brewers and was fairly decent. Adding him should not be the splash of the offseason but should round out our rotation. 

Teheran has been a very solid pitcher for almost every year in his career. The right-handed pitcher has a career earned run average of 3.83 with 1,257 strikeouts in 1468 innings pitched. The two time all-star would be a very great addition to the Pirates starting rotation.

Pitching is absolutely the priority this offseason, but we also need to address first base. Getting these three could be a realistic scenario or my optimistic opinion. Additions like these would really drive up the chances of the Pirates returning to buctober. November 6th is the day that free agency starts back up so let's all sit back and see what Ben Cherington does.