The Pirates are eying an in-state rival as a possible offseason addition.
Pittsburgh is in on free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, based on a Tuesday report by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The staff additionally had proven curiosity in Josh Naylor earlier than he re-signed with the Mariners.
Schwarber is predicted to have a lot of suitors this offseason, and he has expressed curiosity in returning to Philadelphia, however after a season through which he hit 56 house runs and 132 RBIs and completed second within the Nationwide League MVP voting, he isn’t more likely to rush into any resolution.
“The demand for Schwarber is excessive, which is not any shock contemplating he gained’t get greater than a five-year deal due to his age and positional inflexibility as a full-time designated hitter,” Passan wrote. “After all, once you hit like Schwarber, neither age nor place issues. Groups have made that abundantly clear, all the way in which from the apparent suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies are fiending to re-sign him) and the not-so-obvious (sure, Pittsburgh is in on Schwarber as properly).”
The Pirates have newfound monetary flexibility after they dealt Ke’Bryan Hayes (Reds) and David Bednar (Yankees) on the commerce deadline to clear wage area.
Common supervisor Ben Cherington beforehand mentioned the Pirates will “pursue some issues in free company and trades.”
“We have to add to the offense and we’ll be disenchanted if we don’t,” he mentioned on the normal managers assembly in Las Vegas.
It could seem that Cherington is preserving to that, with the Pirates in on the big-name free brokers.
Earlier than the Mariners bringing again Naylor, Passan reported the Pirates had been making ready to supply Naylor over $78 million.
There may be actually an added incentive for the Pirates to start out successful with one of many hottest names in baseball on their roster, in Paul Skenes.
Skenes captured the NL Cy Younger Award this 12 months amid rumors, which the pitcher shot down, that he was shedding religion within the Pirates group and hoped to be traded out of Pittsburgh.
