5 takeaways: What did MLB's winter meetings tell us about Pirates' offseason strategy?

Dec.

12DALLAS From a record-breaking contract to other marquee signings and trades, the 2024 MLB winter meetings featured the most action the event has provided in years.

The Pirates were a part of the fun, leaving the Lone Star State on Wednesday evening with a new first baseman, along with a handful of minor league projects.

But despite making what was perhaps the most aggressive trade during his tenure in Pittsburgh, Ben Cherington and his front-office staff still have plenty of work to do before spring training arrives.

Here are five takeaways from the Pirates' activities over the past week in Dallas: Heavy faith in Horwitz After expressing for months that they intended to use their organization's pitching depth to upgrade the club's offense, the Pirates turned their words into action Tuesday evening, trading right-hander Luis Ortiz, along with left-handed minor league arms Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle, to Cleveland for first baseman Spencer Horwitz.

Horwitz, who was traded to Cleveland earlier that afternoon from Toronto, boasts deep connections to the Pirates organization.

Cherington was a part of the Blue Jays organization when it selected Horwitz in the 24th round of the 2019 draft.

Horwitz also has a strong connection with recently hired hitting coach Matt Hague, as the two worked together at both the minor and major league levels.

Pittsburgh will now hope that familiarity pays off.

Horwitz looks to be the club's future at first base.

While league sources gave strong reviews of his talent to the Post-Gazette, the newest Pirate still is largely an unproven commodity.

Horwitz turned 27 last month and has appeared in just 112 big league games.

And though his contract is as affordable as they come three seasons remain before he is eligible for arbitration he was acquired at what some view to be a high cost.

Ortiz, per Baseball Reference, was the Pirates' second-most valuable pitcher in 2024, boasting a 3.0 wins above replacement (WAR) that trailed only National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young finalist Paul Skenes (5.9).

Similar to Horwitz, Ortiz boasts plenty of club control, as the right-hander will not be eligible for arbitration until 2027.

A one-for-one trade of Ortiz for Horwitz would have been viewed by some as a gamble in itself, but the Pirates sweetened the pot for Cleveland by throwing in two of their top 20 prospects.

While it is far too early to tell if the Pirates overpaid in this deal, it is fair to call this the most aggressive move Cherington has made during his time as the club's general manager.

First base has remained an issue in Pittsburgh since Josh Bell was traded after the 2020 season.

If Horwitz can solve that problem, then the trade will be a success regardless of what Ortiz, Kennedy and Hartle achieve with the Guardians.

But on the flip side, if Horwitz does not pan out, the move could age very poorly given Cleveland's track record of developing arm talent.

From free agents such as Christian Walker and Pete Alonso to potential trade targets such as Yandy Diaz and Cody Bellinger, this year's market featured plenty of established first basemen to pursue.

The Pirates instead went after an unproven, more affordable option that they believe can help them win not just in 2025 but in many years that follow, as well.

Cherington and his staff put a large amount of eggs into the Spencer Horwitz basket.

Time will tell if their choice to bank on internal familiarity over proven big league success will end up being the right call.

Time to address bullpen For all the discussion about improving the offense, there has been little acknowledgement of the large amount of work that remains to be done in the bullpen.

Last season, Pirates relievers combined to compile a 4.49 ERA, which ranked fourth worst in MLB.

Two-time All-Star David Bednar had a disastrous 2024 campaign, experiencing career worsts in ERA (5.77), losses (eight) and blown saves (seven), which led to his removal from the closer role in September.

The Pirates have openly discussed their belief that Bednar will bounce back to his old self in 2025.

And while a handful of arms showed flashes of promise Colin Holderman, Dennis Santana, Carmen Mlodzinski and Kyle Nicolas among them it would be hard to feel good about the unit as a whole without at least a few major league-proven additions.

Aroldis Chapman, the team's most productive relief pitcher, departed from Pittsburgh in free agency, signing a one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Fellow left-handers Ryan Borucki and Jalen Beeks are both free agents, leaving Joey Wentz as the lone southpaw reliever on the Pirates' 40-man roster.

The Pirates have made minor additions to their bullpen so far, signing right-hander Elvis Alvarado to a major league, split contract.

Pittsburgh has also acquired right-hander Peter Strzelecki from Cleveland and signed right-handers Isaac Mattson, Hunter Stratton and Yerry Rodriguez to minor league deals.

That bunch, however, will not be enough, something Cherington himself has acknowledged.

League sources have told the Post-Gazette the Pirates will not likely be looking to sign a high-end, top-of-the-market leverage reliever similar to last offseason when they brought in Chapman.

Instead, the plan will likely be to acquire one or two veterans at a price tag similar to what Borucki signed for last winter (one year, $1.6 million).

Pirates fans shouldn't worry the club did not leave the winter meetings with a notable bullpen addition.

But with spring training now less than two months away, the Pirates who also have yet to officially fill the bullpen coach opening would be wise to not wait too long and miss out on the best options that fit their plan for 2025.

Affordable bats remain available Switching back to offense, Horwitz will likely not be the only bat the Pirates acquire this offseason.

The clear target for Pittsburgh looks to be a corner outfielder.

And while some of the top names on the market are no longer available, the Pirates still have more than a few options to explore in free agency.

Harrison Bader, Max Kepler, Jesse Winker, Jason Heyward and Randal Grichuk are five free agent veteran outfielders with postseason experience.

Each of those five individuals holds a projected value of less than $10 million per year, which should be within the Pirates' price range.

Of course, there is also the option to make another trade, which looks to be the more likely route for the Pirates to take, per conversations with multiple sources over the past week.

One familiar name available on the trading block is Angels slugger Taylor Ward.

Ward was one of many players the Pirates looked into last season around the trade deadline.

Reports surfaced at the winter meetings that the Angels are looking to shop the soon-to-be 31-year-old, although no connections were reported to the Pirates this time around.

Although his defense would be an issue, Ward's bat would provide an upgrade to the Pirates offense, as the right-handed-hitting corner outfielder batted .246 with 25 home runs and a 111 OPS+ last year.

Ward's 2.3 WAR in 2024 would have been the third highest on the Pirates roster, trailing only Bryan Reynolds (3.6) and Oneil Cruz (2.5) Keller, Jones' trade value should rise On Wednesday, the Post-Gazette reported the Pirates would be open to trading Mitch Keller and Jared Jones.

The idea, as written Wednesday, would be to move one of those two arms for a substantial return that could improve the roster for 2025, along with multiple years after.

While it would likely take an overwhelming offer for the Pirates to go through with dealing either right-hander, this offseason could be the year when such a trade package could surface.

This season's market shows pitching is the top commodity, and teams are willing to pay a high price for it through both trade and free agency.

Max Fried, Luis Severino, Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi have all been signed to new deals, and the White Sox traded Garrett Crochet to Boston.

With fewer high-end talents remaining, the price on Keller and Jones will continue to rise.

Plenty of teams with intentions to contend for the 2025 World Series have yet to make a significant addition to their starting rotation.

Should those groups miss out on the likes of Corbin Burnes, Jack Flaherty and Roki Sasaki, the trade market would become their only option to make a sizable improvement.

All quiet in the NL Central The Pirates' trade with Cleveland made them the most active team from the National League Central during the winter meetings.

None of the other four clubs signed or traded for a major league player during the three-day event in Dallas.

As far as rumors are concerned, the Cubs have been connected to the most activity out of all of the Pirates' divisional foes.

Reports have suggested Chicago is looking to move Bellinger and is interested in trading for Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Cincinnati, St.

Louis and Milwaukee, meanwhile, have been three of the quieter clubs up to this point in the offseason.

As Cherington mentioned, most clubs view the winter meetings to no longer be the peak of the offseason but rather the start of the most notable activity.

Should that be the case, the Pirates could find themselves competing with their division rivals for some of the same players for the remainder of the winter.

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