The Pittsburgh Pirates are Going to Spend this Offseason?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are Going to Spend this Offseason?

So, Kyle Schwarber might be a pirate. Josh Naylor was almost a pirate and their skepticism of course, which I think is very warranted. So, we’re going to talk about all that and also some free agents that I think the Pirates should honestly try to bring in if they are per se actually going to try this off season. We’re going to talk about all of that and more here today on the podcast. My name is Nathan and welcome to my channel. Make sure to subscribe down below if you are new here. Let’s get into this. So, this is a very interesting week in Pirates Land. We had some DFAS, we had some non-tendered contracts, we had some tendered contracts, but the biggest news of the week basically came from a Jeff Passen article on Tuesday saying that the Pirates started offering Josh Naylor a contract that was worth double than the Francisco Liriano deal, which was already the highest free agent price that the Pirates had paid in basically ever. Now, how much was that deal? It was about $39 million. Pass said it was worth double the contract of what they were worth giving to Josh Naylor. So, if you do the math, it’s probably 78 to $80 million. Still, they were about 12 to 14 million short of what the Seattle Mariners paid for Josh Naylor. So, they didn’t get no they didn’t get him. And I honestly am surprised that this news even came out. What’s the point of pushing this news out if you’re not going to get a Josh Naylor? Second place doesn’t mean you’re getting Josh Naylor. If you get Josh Naylor, you get him. If you don’t, you don’t. So, the article got even better, and I think this is where it kind of took off. The Kyle Schwarber thing. Now, it also said in this article that Kyle Schwarber is a possibility for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as they are going to be all in on Kyle Schwarber. Now, when I’m reading this article, I saw the other teams that were mentioned, and I just can’t help but laugh. The Philadelphia Phillies, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox. Sure, the Cincinnati Reds are another small market team, but he’s from the area. Sure, I could see it. But then the Pittsburgh Pirates, huh? So, the Pirates are magically going to spend all this money this off season. Now, I’m not mad if they go out and spend this money this offseason because you have Paul Ske. You have to win now. This is do or die. This is, I think, a do or die off seasonason for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, why is that per se? Well, Paul Ske you’re running out of time with. He’s going to be a free agent. It’s going to come sooner rather than later. um the lockout possibly next year. Let’s add on to that. And you have Connor Griffin even coming up too. So you have this young core that you can finally start to see some glimpses in with a couple of them. But at the same time, you have to go out and spend to keep some players happy. You have to keep Paul SK happy if you want any sort of chance and making sure he stays as a Pittsburgh Pirate, which honestly I hope he does, but I don’t think he will that much longer. So, the premise of this episode is I just want to tell everyone until the Pirates put actions to their words, their words are just words. These reporters saying that they’re in on Josh Naylor. These reporters all saying like Kyle Schwarber was a possibility. Last night, Pete Lono was mentioned by Jim Bowden. Pete Alonso was. I don’t see any world where Peter Lansono is coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates. I don’t see any world where Kyle Schwarber is coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Maybe some lower-end multi-year free agents could possibly come to the Pirates, and I’ll talk to about that in a little bit. But until the Pirates put actions to their words, you can’t believe any of this. Now, I understand the premise. Like, I’m on social media all week and my least favorite thing I’ve read is like the whole like this is all a conspiracy theory. The pirates are only putting this out for positive PR. Now, let me say this about that that argument. If the Pirates are aiming to get positive PR about this, that’s cool and all, but if they don’t do anything and they don’t get anyone, isn’t that going to bring you even more negative PR? There’s an event called Pirates Fest in about two months and they’re already going to be dealing with so much negative PR at that event. Okay? And you can also say the Pirates don’t give a crap about this PR. I think if you were working in press public relations, if you’re one of those workers, I feel very bad for them and what they’re going to have to deal with. Okay, you got the bucko bricks, you had an usher beating up another fan. Well, it was kind of warranted there if you read the story and all that. So, you had that, you had the Clemente sign, you had an awful season in general, they traded a fan favorite in David Bednar. Um, it goes on and on and on and on and on. You had the Tommy Fam thing in Los Angeles, too. Uh, but yeah, it goes on and on and on. And if you add on to the premise of they were saying they were in on Kyle Schwarber and they almost signed Josh Naylor. If you don’t do anything this off season, you’re going to add even more bad PR to that. And I don’t think the Pirates really want that. You can say they don’t care about it. I think there’s people in that front office that actually care about all this bad stuff going on. And if if Ben Sharington and Travis Williams weren’t already on the hot seat, which I think they should have been for the last couple years, this is the off seasonason where they are desperately on the hot seat. If they don’t do anything, and if the Pirates don’t improve, they’re probably gone with how Derrick Shelton was by like April and May. They should have been gone by now. In my opinion, whenever Ben Cherington was announced coming back, I literally did a live episode because I was so frustrated about this premise. But basically what I’m saying in this opening little bit here, this opening segment today about Schwarber and Naylor, until they actually do it, you just can’t believe it. If the Pirates actually went out and signed Kyle Schwarber to this mega 30 million per year deal, I’ll start to believe it more. You’ll win some fans back over. The guys that are the most pessimistic fans of all time maybe might start to go back to the ballpark. Okay, I’m a really optimistic Pirates fan, but I even have my doubts about free agency. I’m not getting my hopes up at all this off seasonason. I’m expecting Mitch Keller to probably be probably be traded for nothing that people want. I see people say Jiren Durant, Will Abrau. Um I don’t think they’re getting any of those guys. Okay, Mitch Keller I don’t think gives you that. It’s not going to be a one for one. You’re going to have to trade Keller with prospects possibly to get a Durant or an Abrau from Boston. Okay, you’re going to get a guy probably from Toronto, like a Davis Schneider type or someone like a Spencer Horwitz, what we got last year for Luis Ortiz. Now, I’m not saying Horwitz is bad because Horwitz was awesome and I liked I really liked what we got out of Spencer Horwitz, but that’s the type of player you’re getting from Mitch Keller, a young player that has controllable years that is not worth a lot of money. You could go out and change that stigma and make a splash though. Okay, go make a splash. Put words in. Make your words actions. Okay, words are words and until you do it, okay? Go out and make something happen. Okay, that’s all I have to say about this opening segment because there’s not really much to add about Naylor or Schwarber. Naylor is already a Mariner. You lost on that one if it even was real. Schwarber, I don’t think they’re going to get Kyle Schwarber. Petono, you could add into this with the whole Jim Bowden thing that came out yesterday. No, they’re not getting Pete Alonso either until they actually show things. That’s when you can start to believe in this. Okay, so for this next segment, I want to get into a guy that I think is probably my number one free agent target. This being Kazuma Okamoto from the Giants over in NPB, over in Japan, that is. So, Kazuma Okamoto, why do I want him so bad? And why would he even play here? Now, why would he even play here? I really don’t have an answer for that. It would come down to money and maybe playing with Paul SKS. And that’s also kind of building on the last topic. If you wanted to get a Kyle Schubber here, you have to show him. Go out and make some moves before you get him. Okay, but back to Okamoto for a second. Why do I think he’s a fit for the Pirates? First of all, they have a hole at third base. You either are going to be playing Jared Trielo there every day and Jared Trielo is a guy that really was good during the end of the season, but are we all just going to forget he about a had a lower than 600 OPS basically the entire season? Had to go down to Triple A. Okay. Jared Trio sure had one and a half good months to two good months. Um I don’t know if that warrants him being the starting third baseman. I think they have to explore getting a third baseman with pop. The Pirates since Hayes and Trio, okay, they’re basically the same player have have valued a glove over a bat. Now sure that’s great and all, but you have to be able to hit from these power corner positions. Okay, Okamoto can do that. Now Okamoto when compared to Murakami does not have as much as much power. Okamoto is also coming off of a shortened season where he did have an injury but in 69 games he still hit 15 home runs. He still hit 327 he still hit a OBP of 416 an a slugging of 598. That’s an OPS in that short amount of time of over a thousand,4 to be exact. But here’s the thing about Okamoto I like the most. Okay, and I explained this on the Northshore 9 the point show. The Pirates strike out a lot. They strike out way too much for everyone’s liking. I see it in the Facebook comments all the time. People hate strikeouts. Okay, you could hit so many home runs. You could also strike out too much and people would still hate you. That’s how Yanzers are. Okay, they’re frustrated. Now, if you don’t want to strike out as much, Okamoto is your guy. Okamoto in a career 4,494 played appearances has only struck out a whopping 796 times. If I pull up my calculator to find the math really quick. So 796 divided by the 4,494. That equals a strikeout rate of about 17% in his entire career. Okamoto is a guy that is not going to strike out that much. Sure, we can be worried about the adjustment period into the MLB from overseas, but here’s the thing about the Pirates need to do. Go out and take a risk. It’s you have to be able to do this at some point. You have to go out and take risks. Put on your big boy pants and go out and make a move. Okay? Okamoto is a realistic multi-year free agent signing. Now, sure, it can get a little stingy with the whole posting fee, and that might be where you’re worried with Bob Nutting. And that’s honestly where I’m worried about this, too. the pirates not wanting to pay that little posting fee to the yomori giants. Now, would I do it? Heck yeah, I’d do it because Okamoto can be your third baseman compared to Murakami. Sure, Murakami has the home runs, but he’s going to strike out a lot more. Could you imagine Pirates fans with a lineup of Murakami, Kyle Shore, and O’Neal Cruz? Sure, you’re getting the home runs, but people would still find a way to hate on it and call it trash with all the strikeouts because that’s how we are as Yenszers. Not me personally, but I see it all the time on Facebook. I’m gonna go out on a tangent, but Twitter’s even worse for that. So Okamoto is my guy. Now MLB Trade Rumors released their article and we talked I talked about Colin Beasley a little bit in our last episode of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. They had him at a projected deal about four years 64 million which is about 16 per for Okamoto. The Pirates should do it. The Pirates said they put out the quote saying there’s going to be more flexibility this off season. It also came out in the past and stuff they they’d probably be spending 30 to $40 million. Sure. And then we just had yesterday DK Pittsburgh ports released there’s supposedly going to be a payroll maybe up to $110 million this year. When’s the last time we seen an open day opening day payroll of about $100 million. If you’re going to get to that, you have to go sign some guys. Spend a chunk of that change on one player that is good. Go out and make a risk in this Okamoto. Go out and get Kazoma Okamoto. I think he’d be a great one. And it’s like I I I don’t really know what else to say. Okamoto is a great player to go get in his NPB career. 1,089 hits in 1,074 games, 212 doubles. He’s not really fast. He doesn’t really have the triples or stolen bases. Only three triples, 13 stolen bases. But I could care less about his speed whenever he’s hitting 248 career home runs, 717 RBI’s, a career 277 hitter, a 361 OBP, a 521 slugging, and a career OPS of 882. go out and get Okamoto. I think he’d be a great fit for the Pittsburgh Pirates and he is by far my number one free agent option for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Go out and make a splash. Go out and take a risk. Okay, that’s all I ask. This is the guy I want to be on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Okay, sure you could spend more money on an outfielder or whatever, a pitcher, reliever or whatever. I don’t think they need any more starters, but I think they’re going to trade Keller for an outfielder or a third baseman. one of these two. I would rather spend the money on third base cuz I care more about third base. You’re already getting some power production out of the outfield with O’Neal Cruz and Brian Reynolds. Sure, they struck out a good bit last year, but you’re still getting about 20 home runs from each of them. I know it was a down year for Reynolds, but he’s been a guy that could hit you over 20. Cruz is going to hit you over 20 as well. You got power in the outfield. You desperately need power in the infield. You have Spencer Horitz, that’s the best you got right now for power. He can have the potential to hit 20 home runs, but Okamoto can be a guy to hit you 20 home runs. Here’s his home runs by year. I want to start since his 20, let’s go since, let’s see here, 2018, because this is when he kind of started taking the NPB by storm. So, in 2018, 33 home runs. 2019, 31. 2020, 31. 2021, he hit 39. 2022, he hit 30. 2023, he hit 41 home runs. 2024, he hit 27. And in 2025, in his shorten year, he hit 15. Now, he only hit 15 because he was injured, but he’s going to hit you at least 20 or plus, maybe 30. And when’s the last time the Pirates have had a 30 home run hitter? It’s been a very long time. So, that is why Kazuma Okamoto is probably my best free agent fit that I want desperately on this team. Moving on, let’s talk about some other free agents that I’m looking at and that maybe the Pirates could go out and get that I would be very intrigued in. So, starting things off here, I have Ryan O’Harn. Um, former Orio and Padre. He’s also a former Royal, but he played with the Orioles and Padres’s last year. This is a guy I saw Pirates fans wanting the team to trade for. Now, here’s the thing. Why would I I don’t understand why people had the Pirates as buyers last off season when they were very bad. Um, I think people were just desperate to be good then, but they weren’t going to make the playoffs. So, Ryan O’Harn’s my guy. Now, you might say, “First base, right fielder or whatever. First base, I only picked them because they went out. They actually made it known. They were in on Josh Naylor and they already have Spencer Horwitz.” Let’s get weird, though. Maybe you like Spencer Horitz at second base, which he has some experience there. He played there for a couple games last year at the end. Ryan O’Harn maybe plays first. He could also play the outfield. Maybe you move, maybe you’re weird and move Reynolds back to left and put Ryan O’Harn in right. Um, maybe you DH Ryan O’Harn with Andrew McCutchen, which I think they will bring Andrew McCutchen back. I’m not even going to say Andrew McCutchen in this video because I think it’s just set in stone that Cutch will be back. Maybe platoon him with an Andrew McCutchen, a designated hitter. Ryan O’Harn brings this team something that they desperately need. Lefty power. Ryan O’Harn last season 17 home runs. He hit 281, a 366 OVP of 437 slugging, an OPS of 803, OPS plus of 125. That I think would be the highest on the Pittsburgh Pirates. I think just ahead of a Spencer Horwitz. So Ryan O’Harn would be the Pirates best hitter last year. He also had a war of a 2.433 hits and 474 at bats. Um Ryan O’Harn is a guy that can hit the long ball. Um he’s been decent at it his whole career. He’s I mean he hasn’t hit over 20 yet, but he’s been a guy that’s been progressively getting better. That is the thing. In 2023 he had 14. 2024 he had 15. This past year he had 17. If he continues this trajectory, he could maybe hit you 20. And I think Ryan Hearn, if you’re getting 15 plus home runs from a first baseman, a DH or right fielder, I am completely fine with that because this team desperately needs to add some slug to this lineup. He had a 437 slugging percentage last year. I will take it. His projections on baseball reference are about what he did this year. a 269 average, a 383 33 338 OBP, if I can say it properly, a 434 slugging, and they have a 773 OPS with the 17 home runs. Again, I think he’s a guy that could hit you 20 home runs. I’m very interested in Ryan O’Harn. I think Ryan O’Harn is honestly a guy you could give a two-year deal to. I I don’t know if he’s a one-year deal type, but I definitely see him as a two-year deal type. I think he was projected at like two for 24. Maybe you try him at two for 22 and a half like I projected on the point. That would be about 11 and a half 11.25 a year. I’d do that for Ryan O’Harn if he’s hitting you 17 plus home runs. I think that’s worth it. Pirates need slug. There’s some slug for you. Um, moving on. Another guy. This is kind of your one-year deal type. I know Beasley talked about it in our little interview we did on our last episode and I’ve slowly been buying into this idea of bringing in this guy to play the outfield. Mike Yremsky. Okay, this is a weirder one and it took a little bit me more thinking about it. Yremsky 35 years old. Okay, he’s a little bit up there, but maybe you do get him on a two-year deal maybe to end his end his career out because he’s been a very overall positive. He’s never had a negative war in his career. He’s coming off of a year where he had a 2.8 combined war with the Giants and Royals after he was traded to the Royals. He was a semi better player and he also produced a he still produced a positive war. With the Giants last year, he had a 1.8 war with the Royals after the trade. He had a one war in that 50game span. But with the Royals, he did hit more home runs. Last season, he’s coming off of another like Ryan O’Harn, a 17 home run year, 46 ribbies. I do think the ribbies are a little low, but it is what it is. He hit 233, 333 OBP, a slugging percentage over 400 at a 403, and OPS is 735. OPS plus of 109. I’m down to bring in Mike Estreky, too. I would honestly play Mike Drezy. It says he’s basically a right fielder. Maybe throw him in right as well. Move Reynolds back to left. Maybe you get weird. Maybe throw Reynolds a designated hitter with Cut. This team has a lot of weird situations it could go through, everyone. And this is going to be an off seasonason where they’re going to have to prove it to people. And to prove it, take these risks. Okay, that’s kind of the definition of where I’m going at this episode. To be good, you’re going to have to take risks. Okay, it’s kind of where the pirates are. Mike Stressky could be one of those one-year deal guys, and I could totally see people be like, “Oh, here we go. The one-year deals, they’re cheap.” But I’d be fine with a Mike Estreky. I think he would be a very decent ad. He was a guy last off seasonason that people were like the Pirates should go out and trade for to bring in to maybe be good in 2025. Now, of course, they did not do that, but Mike Gstreky could be a guy. I also know Robert Murray in his podcast. I was listening to it live. He said maybe Tommy Fam’s a possible reunion. They really liked what they got out of Tommy Fam. If we get Tommy Fam back, I only want him as a backup outfielder. You can’t be starting Tommy Fam every day. You have to get out of that. Now, I would start Mike Ystreky every day because he’s a better hitter than Tommy Fam, but the thing with Tommy Fam, he’s he’s probably gonna provide you a lot better defense. So, that’s why I’d want him as a backup outfielder. Moving on. I know this is kind of a shorter episode today than what we usually do. But, I want to cover one more guy, and this is a weirder one. I know people say the Pirates don’t need pitching. I would love them to add a lefty reliever, though. I They need some more lefties in this bullpen that can be some dominant guys. And let’s get weird with this one. Okay, let’s go out and get a guy that I always say should be a pirate just cuz he looks like a Yinszer already. We’re going to go with Andrew Chaffen of the LA former Los Angeles Angels. He is a free agent this year. Spot track has his market value about 4.1 million. He’s coming off of a $4.75 million contract with the Angels. Now, Andrew Chaffen, of course, 35 years old. He’s going to be turning 36 during next season around June 7 on June 17th. That is now Andrew Chaff and why I won him so much. He had a really good year last year. He only pitched 33.7 innings of work. But here’s the thing with Chaffen. He hit an erra of a 24-1. His wh 1.43 kind of weird range, but that 2.41 RA sticks out as something that the Pirates could play with. And the Pirates just brought a new pitching coach. I think he’s going to deal well with this any bullpen or starter they bring in. I think they’re also gonna bring in another left-handed veteran starter. They usually like to do that, especially if they trade him Mitch Keller, I think they are going to bring in another starting pitcher. As much as fans might be like Mike Grunt and groan saying, “We don’t need one. Why are we getting pitching?” Let me just say this as a fan and looking at the minor leagues and all that stuff, you can never ask for enough pitching. Okay? Every team is going to have billions of pitchers. Sure, yes, the Pirates need hitting, but you desperately if pitchers start to get hurt, okay, these young guys, which some of them do have injury histories if you also trade Mitch Keller, like Ashcraft hasn’t pitched a full year. Okay, that’s the big one. Okay, Jared Jones coming back. He just coming off an injury. You’re going to need more pitchers and you’re going to need some depth. Especially for the bullpen though, I would like some set guys in the bullpen. I would like a Chaffen back in the back end of the bullpen before a Dennis Santana or an Isaac Matson to help him out. I think Chaffen would be a really cool one. So, those are kind of three free agents that well besides Okamoto who we talked about in the last segment. Ryan O’Harn, Mike Gestreky, and Andrew Schaefen are like three guys that I’m looking at as like those cheaper deals with Ryan O’Harn being probably the most out of them. Mike Stressky might get like a one-year 8 to 10 million. Chaffen, they have him at about 4.1 million. Maybe I’d give him 5 million, especially if the parts are going to go out and spend some money, which I have my doubts. But with this type of stuff, you can only wish cast. Okay, that’s all you can basically do. So, to briefly wrap things up, Kyle Schwarber, we’re in on him. Cool. Go out and do it instead of say it. They missed out on Josh Naylor and they offered him a contract. Cool. Should have went to pay him more to bring him on in. Don’t just say it, do it. Petonso, they’re supposedly a team to watch. Don’t say it, do it. Kazuma Okamoto would be a great fit. Four year, 64 million MLB trade rumors, 16 per. You have the money or the flexibility to do it. Maybe what you said. You said it. Now go do it. Ryan O’Harn, you want to add some pop and some slugging? Don’t say it. Do it. Yumky, same thing. Don’t say it. Do it. Chafing. Just get Chaffing because he looks like Yenszer. He’d be a good fit. But yeah, that’s all I got for you guys. Thank you all for watching this episode here of the podcast here on my YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe down below. We’re about at the 400 subscriber mark, so help us go hit that. Um, make sure to like the video and comment some of your thoughts down below. Who are some free agents that you want the Pirates to sign? What do you think about the guys I brought up, Okamoto O’Harn, Yremsky, and Chaffen? And what do you think about all this Kyle Schwarber, Josh Naylor, and Pete Lonzo stuff? Do you buy it? I have my doubts. But yeah, let me know down below. Make sure to subscribe. Thank you all for watching. Have a good one.

In this episode of my Pirates podcast, I discuss all of the rumors that say the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to spend more money this offseason. I also look at some free agent targets that the Pirates should go after.

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