The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a terrific offseason, but one area where they’re still falling short is free agency. The Pirates failed to land several of their top free agent targets this winter, including Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suarez.
Pittsburgh’s offers were competitive, but that’s usually not enough to land a top free agent, especially when there’s interest from other teams.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal explained why on Tuesday’s episode of “Foul Territory.”
If the Pirates are valuing players properly, they can’t expect to get deals done with higher-level free agents, says @Ken_Rosenthal.
“If you’re going to play in this arena, then don’t kind of do it halfway.” pic.twitter.com/XcHMkz9evB
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 3, 2026
“It seems to me that they’re valuing players properly. The problem is, when you’re the Pittsburgh Pirates, valuing players is not necessarily going to get a deal done,” Rosenthal said. “If you’re the Pirates…you’re gonna have to overpay in certain cases…They need to overpay.”
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Rosenthal suggested that if the Pirates had offered Suarez a few more million dollars than the Cincinnati Reds, perhaps he’d be in Pittsburgh right now instead of Cincinnati.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, they are not a desirable destination for many free agents. Part of that is the city’s location, part of it is the weather, and part of it is the fact that Pittsburgh hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015.
In other words, it’s probably not going to be enough for the Pirates to match other offers, as they did with Suarez. They need to outbid teams and pay a bit of a premium to get the free agents they desire.
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Pittsburgh learned that the hard way this offseason, but hopefully Ben Cherington puts that lesson to good use next winter.
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