The Pittsburgh Pirates' front office has sent a clear message about their offseason priorities at PiratesFest, and it's one that has fans buzzing with excitement and curiosity. But here's where it gets controversial: while the team has been known to prioritize adding real talent, the question remains just how far their spending power can truly extend.
In early January, Ben Cherington, the executive in charge, rattled off a list of areas he'd like to improve, but quickly did an about-face when it came to Jared Triolo at the hot corner. Cherington praised Triolo as an option, saying, "We've got Triolo, who took a step forward, and we have a lot of confidence in Tri whether it's at short, or third, or in a multi-position role."
But was this a subtle hedging of bets? Was the oft-criticized executive hinting that one of those additions, but not all, would be possible? Apparently not. Cherington made it clear that the Pirates are still targeting starting pitching, particularly a left-handed starter, and looking at third basemen. The difference between these comments and his earlier statements is that it doesn't seem like an either/or scenario.
"We're going to continue to be aggressive to find ways to improve the team that we think make sense for the Pirates in 2026 and beyond. And as long as someone is still a free agent, it means we have a chance. I don't feel like we're limited in the sense of like well if we do this thing over here, we can't do this thing over there," Cherington told the crowd.
A fan named Ben directly asked Ben Cherington about the effort to sign Eugenio Suarez and whether pursuit of a left-handed starter affects that. Cherington assured fans the Pirates are still looking to be aggressive and want to add both a starting pitcher and a third baseman before the end of the offseason.
So it seems safe to assume that the Pirates will fill both holes, which is good news. But how good depends on the degree to which they intend to address those concerns. On the third base front, are we looking at a Eugenio Suarez signing? Or something less consequential, like one of the various utilitymen still sitting on the market? On the pitching front, does this mean we can expect the Pirates to try and get the most bang for their buck and reunite with Jose Quintana? Or is something more substantial in the cards?
The free-agent market is thinning out, but that doesn't mean that the Pirates will settle for something that may only be a marginal upgrade at best. Cherington also said they'd be active in the trade market, so the search will be exhaustive. There's still a limit to how much Pittsburgh can extend itself, but the message is clear: the club is serious about upgrades and will pursue any avenue, as long as it makes "sense."
