The Pittsburgh Pirates have been aggressive in rounding out their roster this offseason. They’ve gone on to add talent in trades like Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon García, and Gregory Soto, and then signed Ryan O’Hearn. For as many moves as the Pirates have made, they still have one glaring one left, and that is third base.
*Prediction*
If the Pirates are going to improve at all positions, they need to find a new third baseman, and the player they can look to sign to fix this is Yoan Moncada.
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Yoan Moncada is coming off a season in which, although he dealt with thumb and knee issues, still ended up with a .234/.336/.448 slash line with 12 home runs and 35 runs batted in. When he is healthy, it is clear his power and arm strength are both pluses that help in his production.
While Yoan Moncada is certainly not in the early stages of his career anymore as he is going to be entering his 11th season in MLB, but he is just 30 years old, so there is still upside for him to continue to make an impact as an under-the-radar signing.
The biggest thing with Yoan Moncada will be him staying healthy, but if he can, he can provide Pittsburgh the depth they need at third base to give Jared Triolo more time to adjust and develop at the MLB level.
If the Pirates view themselves as true contenders, depth will be crucial, and by signing Yoan Moncada, this would end up being a necessary move to further show they are changing as a team, and can’t be overlooked anymore going forward.