Despite Ken Rosenthal's report that the Pirates want to be more aggressive this offseason, we know the Bucs will be thrifty. Where does the roster currently stand so we know what moves to look for?
The Bucs have holes at left field, DH, third base, shortstop, second base, and catcher. So they have holes in every position except for where Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, and Spencer Horwitz play. All three of these players struggled against LHP, so that leaves the Bucs with 0 reliable fulltime players. Also note all three have struggled historically against LHP as well.
Jared Triolo hit well against LHP last year overall and finished the season well. He also had a 2.3 bWAR in 331 at bats, and he was lifted at the end of the last home game of the season along with Bryan Reynolds, so he must be the plans for next season as well. That tells me that the Bucs expect Triolo to be a fulltime player next year hitting both RHP and LHP.
So what does a team do that has 0 fulltime hitters last year who hit both LHP and RHP well?
Let's start with the 13 the Bucs currently have on the 40-man roster who would likely make the 40-man roster if the 2026 season started today.
- C: Davis, Bart, Rodriguez
- DH: Reynolds
- 1B: Horwitz
- 2B: Yorke, Valdez
- SS: Gonzales, Devanney
- 3B: Triolo
- OF: Canario, Cruz, Suwinski
Against RHP
- C: Davis
- DH: Rodriguez
- 1B: Horwitz
- 2B: Valdez
- SS: Gonzales
- 3B: Triolo
- OF: Reynolds, Cruz, Suwinski
Against LHP
- C: Davis,
- DH: Bart
- 1B: Rodriguez
- 2B: Yorke
- SS: Gonzales
- 3B: Triolo
- OF: Canario, Cruz, Reynolds
This is clearly an awful lineup against any pitcher in any order.
Here are assumptions that need to be made before signing anybody which means we are already in trouble.
- We have to assume Reynolds, Cruz, and Triolo will have success as everyday players which didn't happen last year.
- We have to assume Henry Davis is ready to be the everyday catcher which again didn't happen last season.
- We have to assume Triolo and Horwitz's strong finishes this year carry over into next season.
- We have to assume
- We have to assume Canario, Bart, and Yorke can hit lefties.
- We have to assume Valdez and Suwinski can hit righties.
All of these assumptions have happened to some extent in the past. Nick Gonzales has had success against LHP in the past, but Endy and Davis are still riding the prospect potential wave.
As of now, it doesn't seem Devanney or anyone else on the 40-man roster has a past that shows they can fit in any lineup. So the 13th roster spot should be the easiest to replace, and we need to work through which of these assumptions are less likely to come true.