A wild rumor claims that the Pittsburgh Pirates actually were ready to hand out a big contract to Josh Naylor in free agency, and have now pivoted to signing an even bigger player on the open market.
For much of the last decade, Athletics owner John Fisher was viewed as the worst in MLB. However, over the last year, Pirates boss Bob Nutting has made a case to usurp that role with his lack of spending to improve a roster that has arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Paul Skenes.
Well, something has certainly changed this offseason. Last week, the organization shut down recent rumors that Skenes could be had for a king’s ransom in a trade this winter. Now comes a report that the Pirates pursued the first big name to put pen to paper on a new contract in free agency.
“The largest free agent contract the Pirates have ever handed out was more than a decade ago: three years and $39 million to Francisco Liriano. They are consistently a bottom-five payroll team. And yet the Pirates were primed to spend more than twice that on Josh Naylor before he re-upped with Seattle for five years and $92.5 million,” according to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan,
“And they’re considering other possibilities to supplement Paul Skenes and a rotation that was among the five best in MLB in the second half.”
Pittsburgh Pirates targeting Kyle Schwarber?
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The assumption would be that the Pirates pivot would be to another player like Naylor in that second or third tier of bats on the open market. Instead, the club is reportedly among the many teams in the chase for, arguably, the best player in free agency, Kyle Schwarber.
“The demand for Schwarber is high, which is no surprise considering he won’t get more than a five-year deal because of his age and positional inflexibility as a full-time designated hitter,” Passan claims. “Of course, when you hit like Schwarber, neither age nor position matters.
Kyle Schwarber stats: .240 AVG, .365 OBP, .563 SLG, .928 OPS, 56 HR, 132 RBI, 111 R
“Teams have made that abundantly clear, all the way from the obvious suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies are fiending to re-sign him) and the not-so-obvious (yes, Pittsburgh is in on Schwarber as well).”
The Pirates had a payroll just south of $50 million in 2025. Schwarber is expected to get a deal around three times as much. However, along with being a top power hitter, the MVP candidate is a great fit for Pittsburgh due to his reputation as a player who makes teammates, and even coaches, better.
After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka … More about Jason Burgos