Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting, left, listens as Ben Cherington, takes questions beside after Cherington was introduced as the new general manager of the baseball team at a news conference, Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
The Pittsburgh Pirates offered the biggest contract in franchise history to 2024 National League MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber, according to multiple reports. Despite their efforts, Schwarber returned to the Philadelphia Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal.
The offer to Schwarber, though one that wasn’t enough to pry him to the other side of the state, tells us a couple things.
For starters, it means the Pirates are serious about adding to the lineup this offseason. And why shouldn’t they be? The offense finished last in the league in 2025 in runs, home runs and OPS and were near the bottom in most of the other major categories.
Though they didn’t use the available resources they have to land Schwarber, the Pirates gave an indication that they have money to spend. It’s a refreshing change of pace from an organization that has rightfully developed a penny-pinching reputation.
The Pirates, for once, look ready to spend. Though they have yet to sign a player to a multi-year deal under general manager Ben Cherington, it looks increasingly possible they will do so this winter. And they should. The lineup is in need of major renovations, not just a new coat of paint.
The offer to Schwarber also indicates that there’s a heightened level of urgency. Surely Cherington is feeling the pressure to build a winner after returning as GM for a seventh season. There needs to be continued aggressiveness until an offer actually turns into a done deal, which leads to the next point.
While the offer to a player of Schwarber’s caliber was competitive, that’s not enough — and won’t ever be — for the Pirates to land an impactful free agent. Free agent negotiations often turn into bidding wars which the Pirates typically bow out of like they’re in a boxing rink with prime Mike Tyson.
But in a bidding war, if all things are equal or close enough, why would a free agent with multiple options put their faith in a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff series since the 1979 World Series and has three postseason appearances since the early ’90s?
The Pirates’ offer to Schwarber — which was reportedly four years and north of $30 million per season — is fair. But fair offers don’t always lead to deals in free agency. If the Pirates want to land a player like Schwarber — or any other impactful free agent — they are going to have to overpay.
They could’ve done what the Baltimore Orioles just did to land Pete Alonso on a five-year, $155 million deal. It was somewhat of a surprise to see Alonso land that type of contract, but with big markets like the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs all involved, that’s what has to be done if you really want a difference-making type player.
So while the Pirates’ efforts to land Schwarber are an encouraging first step considering they’ve never gone to those heights, it should serve as a reminder that they need to increase their efforts if they plan on making a splash.
And considering their interest in Schwarber — and other notable free agents — is well documented, the Pirates better do everything they can to sign at least one notable player. Or else an already-enraged fanbase will be even more so.
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