Which free agents could be good fits for Pirates?

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Mail call! I reached out on X (formerly Twitter) for your Pirates questions this week. Let’s see what the Internet wants to know about the ballclub. (Some questions may be slightly edited for clarity.)

@BCarvella: Who are some realistic difference-making free agents that you see the Pirates pursuing?

@ihlenfeld_tv: Who are the Pirates most likely to target in free agency?

Disclaimer that Major League free agents are still under contract until the day after the World Series, so the team can’t have discussions with players on other teams right now. That said, we can still look at areas of need and who might be a potential fit.

The bullpen did not live up to expectations and is going to need some external additions, primarily a lefty specialist and at least one setup man. Reuniting with Aroldis Chapman would make sense because he excelled in the clubhouse and many young players looked up to him. José Leclerc had a down year with the Rangers in terms of results, but his peripherals were outstanding (36% whiff rate, 30.7% hard hit rate). Southpaw Scott Alexander posted a 2.56 ERA with the Athletics and held left-handed batters to a .419 OPS.

For the offense, I’m looking at first base and corner outfield first. Justin Turner is turning 40 next month, but he’s still a productive hitter (114 OPS+ the last two seasons). Max Kepler had a down year with the Twins, some of which could be attributed to health. If he is clear medically, he is just a year removed for a 24-homer campaign and is a plus defender. Tyler O’Neill would also provide pop (31 home runs) to go along with his two Gold Gloves, but he would require a much larger contract than general manager Ben Cherington has given out in his time with the Pirates.

Of course free agency isn’t the only way to add to the team. The Pirates have plenty of young pitching in the Majors and Minors that could be dangled in trade talks too.

@efisher330: What are the chances the Pirates put Bubba Chandler on the Jared Jones path to making the team out of spring?

@BurnerBurgh: Who is the most likely Minor League pitcher to make the Opening Day rotation

@WhatsTheWeard: Do you see the Pirates deploying any of their starting-pitching prospects in the bullpen?

Triple-dipping here since there was a lot of buzz in my comments about the pitching prospects.

With the obvious caveat that there’s a lot of time between now and Opening Day, I don’t think Chandler has a great shot of making the rotation out of camp. There were plenty of question marks in the rotation last spring, and Jones took advantage of the opportunity. There’s a lot more depth this time around, so I don’t know if there’s a spot up for grabs. With that said, Chandler is one of the best young pitchers around, and if he shows he’s ready in Spring Training, there’s always a chance.

So if the rotation has depth, what about the bullpen? The Pirates haven’t had discussions about Braxton Ashcraft going into the bullpen, but his stuff would absolutely play there, and it could be a way to manage his innings. Mike Burrows also has good stuff and could be a swing man. Obviously you need starting-pitching depth, so you can’t convert everyone into a reliever, but they showed last year with Luis Ortiz that a trip to the bullpen doesn’t close the door on starting, and this team needs to deepen its bullpen pool.

@RedDirtRob87 – What are the Pirates looking for in a hitting coach?

During his end-of-season media availability earlier this month, Cherington talked about how there needs to be more consistency in messaging and the implementation of that messaging on the hitting side. It’s also not going to fall on just one person to be a hitting coach. The Pirates want a hitting team that is collaborative and player-focused, and the new hitting coach is going to head that group.

Given the number of young hitters on this roster who need to improve in 2025 -- including Henry Davis, Endy Rodríguez, Jack Suwinski and Jared Triolo -- someone with a player-development background or insight on how to make that jump from the Minors to Majors less daunting would certainly be a plus.

@DomDiTommaso: Make the case for Juan Soto signing with the Pirates this offseason.

I mean, it never hurts to make an elevator pitch, right? Just sell the allure of Pittsburgh: The right-field porch is short, the city loves its sports teams and we put fries on sandwiches. You could do a whole lot worse.