The biggest need that has been talked about for the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason has been the catcher position. The team did sign catcher Luke Maile to a contract, but with an option left he very well could be depth at Triple-A Indianapolis to start the year. Even if he is on the big league roster, with a 26 man roster carrying a third catcher could be plausible, he hit under .200 last year and should not be relied on as a potential impact player.
This all started earlier this offseason. When the Pittsburgh Pirates hired General Manager Ben Cherington, he made it publicly known that the team was going to seek upgrades at the catcher position at both the Major League and Minor League levels.