The Pirates will have another winter of sifting through the bargain bin in free agency. They have no free agents of their own and the projected payroll is low enough that the Pirates should be able to add to the bench and the bullpen. If the Pirates are serious about moving Andy LaRoche to 2B (and it sounds like they are) they could be in the market for a stopgap 3B to sign to a 1-year deal so they don’t have to rush top prospect Pedro Alvarez. Joe Crede, Troy Glaus or Melvin Mora might be interested in a contract like that giving them an opportunity to re-establish themselves as big time players. The Pirates also would likely have an interest in bringing in a player who can help them off the bench as a pinch hitter and give them protection at 1B in case Jeff Clement and Steve Pearce are not ready for prime time. Tony Clark, Eric Hinske, Doug Mientkiewicz, Chad Tracy and Frank Catalanotto fit that description. Chad Tracy has the biggest upside of that bunch of players. The Pirates also have a need for a 4th and possibly 5th outfielder with major league experience. Reed Johnson, Gabe Kapler, Brian Giles, Rick Ankiel and Mark Kotsay all could help the Pirates next season. The bullpen for the Pirates was pathetic last season so look for them to try to add a few veterans (both righties and lefties) this winter. Luis Vizcaino, Luis Ayala, Joaquin Benoit, Chad Cordero, Kelvim Escobar, Matt Herges, Guillermo Mota, Chan Ho Park, Justin Speier and Russ Springer are likely targets from the right side for the Pirates. From the left side pitchers like Joe Beimel, Ron Mahay, Will Ohman, Brian Shouse, Jamie Walker, Ken Takahashi, Billy Traber and Wil Ledezma will likely be considered by the Pirates. The best way to make a young team stronger on the cheap is to improve the bench and the bullpen and that won’t likely cost the Pirates that much money.
