{"id":509199,"date":"2026-01-07T05:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T05:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/509199\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T05:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T05:38:11","slug":"whats-next-after-okamoto-said-sayonara-to-the-pirates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/509199\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Next After Okamoto Said Sayonara to the Pirates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that Kuzama Okamoto has said sayonara to playing in Pittsburgh<\/a>, the Pirates now turn to other third base options. It\u2019s unknown how seriously Okamoto considered signing with the Pirates. Pittsburgh could offer neither a city with a thriving Japanese culture nor a team with a recent history of success. Perhaps he didn\u2019t want to live on pierogies or sandwiches with French fries<\/a>. Maybe the Pirates weren\u2019t willing to break the bank for a player who\u2019d never faced major league pitching. Regardless, let\u2019s look at who\u2019s available at third base, whether via free agency, the trade market, or internally.<\/p>\n

Okamoto, the Pirates Hardly Knew Ye. What Now?
\nThe Big Prize<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s the right-handed-hitting free agent<\/a> veteran Eugenio Su\u00e1rez<\/a>. Last season, he split time between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners and hit .228\/.298\/.526, 49 HR, and 118 RBI, with a 126 OPS+, 125 wRC+, and .347 wOBA. The home run total matched a career high. Pirates fans know the 12-year veteran as their nemesis from the Cincinnati Reds from 2015-21. It might be wise for the Pirates to pick him up just to ensure that he doesn\u2019t play against them. For his career, he\u2019s tuned up Pirates pitching to the tune of .262\/.347\/.502, 27 HR, and 82 RBI in 130 games.<\/p>\n

Su\u00e1rez also struck out 196 times in 2025, representing 29.8 percent of his plate appearances. With his high strikeout total and low batting average, he\u2019d contribute to two areas where the Pirates don\u2019t need any further contributions. He doesn\u2019t get particularly high marks as a fielder, either. Defensively, he\u2019d be a downgrade to a club that saw Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes<\/a> and Jared Triolo<\/a> man the hot corner since 2020. But even if PNC Park\u2019s deep left field cuts down on his home run production, he\u2019ll provide power hitting unseen in Pittsburgh for years \u2013 indeed, decades. The last Pirate to hit 40 home runs in a season was Willie Stargell<\/a> back in 1973!<\/p>\n

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that the Pirates have interest in Su\u00e1rez. Time will tell whether Su\u00e1rez reciprocates those feelings. MLB Trade Rumors projects a three-year, $63 million deal for the slugger.<\/p>\n

For Pirates Roundtable: Would it take a four-year deal to lure Eugenio Suarez<\/a> to the Pirates?https:\/\/t.co\/kTVQiEbUhG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John Perrotto (@JPerrotto) January 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Other Options<\/p>\n

Like Okamoto, Su\u00e1rez is attractive to the Pirates because he would balance out what has suddenly become a left-handed-hitting-heavy lineup. Surely, their preference would be for a right-handed hitter, and there are other options available.<\/p>\n

The Pirates have also been connected to free agent Yo\u00e1n Moncada<\/a>. However, the 10-year veteran has had trouble staying on the field recently. Since 2023, he\u2019s played only 188 games. Over that span, he\u2019s hit 251\/.321\/.432, 23 HR, and 75 RBI. That translates to almost 20 homers over 162 games, if Moncada can last a full season. The last time the 30-year-old put together a full year, he hit .263\/.375\/.412, 14 HR, and 61 RBI in 144 games in 2021, while being worth 10 Fielding Runs Above Average and four Defensive Runs Saved per Baseball Reference. One wonders whether he\u2019s a significant upgrade over what the Pirates have already.<\/p>\n

Another name that\u2019s been tossed around is Alec Bohm<\/a> of the Philadelphia Phillies, who\u2019s rumored to be available via trade. He\u2019s in the final year of a contract that will pay him an affordable $7.7 million. Last season, Bohm, 29, hit .287\/.331\/.409, 11 HR, and 59 RBI. That translates to a 102 OPS+, .322 wOBA, and 105 wRC+. He drove in 97 runs in both 2023 and 2024. However, the Pirates already traded<\/a> for a one-year rental in Brandon Lowe<\/a>, and trading for another makes sense only if the price isn\u2019t too high. Furthermore, color me skeptical that the Phillies would break up a team that finished 96-66 and in first place in the National League East Division.<\/p>\n

A Familiar Face<\/p>\n

Is a reunion with free agent Isiah Kiner-Falefa<\/a> so far-fetched? The 30-year-old was on record as saying that it was tough playing for a losing team and that PNC Park didn\u2019t suit the Pirates<\/a>. But he was also a big believer in their future because of their young pitching depth. He seemed to like Pittsburgh, or at least he didn\u2019t hate it. In 169 games with the Pirates, he hit .256\/.288\/.328, 2 HR, and 45 RBI. The Pirates used him at shortstop, third base, and second base. He\u2019s a fundamentally sound ballplayer, his questionable baserunning in Game 7 of the World Series<\/a> notwithstanding. His presence would allow Triolo to move to shortstop if top prospect Konnor Griffin<\/a> starts the season in the minors. When Griffin is ready, Triolo can slide over to third, and Kiner-Falefa can be traded.<\/p>\n

Internal Solutions<\/p>\n

Otherwise, internal solutions are Triolo, Gonzales, and Nick Yorke<\/a>. Triolo, 27, a Gold Glove recipient<\/a> in the utility category in 2024, seems to have the edge there. Last year, he hit .227\/.311\/.356, 7 HR, and 24 RBI, and spent time in the minors. He finished strong, hitting .276\/.353\/.422 in August and September after Hayes was traded<\/a>. But Triolo has enticed the Pirates before with good late-season performances that didn\u2019t carry over to the next season, which is why the Pirates have been connected to other third basemen.<\/p>\n

Gonzales, 26, the incumbent second baseman who\u2019s giving way to Lowe, hit .260\/.299\/.362, 5 HR, and 30 RBI in 2025. He\u2019s played only two games at third base in the majors. His OPS+ was 84 compared to Triolo\u2019s 86, an indication that, in theory at least, they\u2019re basically the same hitter. There seems to be no compelling reason to favor Gonzales over Triolo at third base. Yorke, 23, has played in just 33 major league games, two at third base, and is a long shot to go north with the big club.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unknown whether the Pirates had their full focus on Okamoto and are only now engaged with others. If so, the process of lining up the next third baseman may take a while. The feeling here is that if Griffin makes the team out of spring training and performs as advertised, given the additions the Pirates have made so far, there are worse things than having Triolo in the lineup at third. But Su\u00e1rez would certainly look good there if they could pull it off.<\/p>\n

Mandatory Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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