The Pittsburgh Pirates are not in a mode to contend. We know this. Ben Cherington has been working diligently to flip major league players for young prospects. This is a methodology that likely should’ve been utilized in the offseason which saw the departures of Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen.
We know that the pool from which to draw players on the Pirates’ roster for trade purposes is now nearly fully depleted. How, then, can Cherington continue to acquire young up-and-coming talent? By signing a free agent, of course.
Many of the remaining free agents are either cost prohibitive for Pittsburgh or would be unwilling to spend half a season with the Pirates.