Finding the Pirates One Last Bat to Complete Their New Lineup

Throughout the offseason, several teams have been very active in adding new pieces to their 2026 rosters. Among big spenders like the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made various significant additions to their offense.

To put it simply, this offseason has brought out a new side of the Pirates and their willingness to spend. Between Ryan O’Hearn, Gregory Soto, and Brandon Lowe alone, the Pirates added just shy of $34 million to their annual payroll.

Although their offseason has been a success, they could still use one more bat before Opening Day to truly finalize their roster. If the Pirates are going to make this addition, it has to happen soon. There are roughly two weeks until the beginning of spring training, and the remaining free agents will be looking to find new homes quickly.

If the team makes one final addition, it’ll likely come in the form of a third baseman. Despite Jared Triolo’s second-half successes, he’s not a surefire bet to carry that into a full season. Triolo posted a 45 wRC+ in the first half of 2025, even spending some time in Triple-A to get his swing right.

Aside from the team’s desire to find a more solidified answer at third base, their best opportunities to make an upgrade are also at the hot corner. Whether it’s by trade or a free agent signing, there are plenty of opportunities for the Pirates to find their last hitter.

Let’s examine the options left and see who makes the most sense for the Pirates to target before Opening Day.

Note: There are a number of depth pieces remaining that could serve a meaningful role on the 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates. This story will focus on more significant upgrades, rather than those types of signings.

Eugenio Suárez (Free Agent)

For many Pirates fans, the one final piece to complete the “Winter of Ben” would be power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suárez. In fact, ever since the Pirates were rumored to be planning to increase spending this offseason, Suárez has been a popular choice for this role.

For Suárez, the 2025 season was defined by two very different halves. He tied his previous career-high in homers with an impressive total of 49. While this was undoubtedly a superb total, 31 of his 49 blasts came during the first half, which really shows just how one-sided his season was.

Even though his season was a tale of two halves, he still finished with impressive numbers overall. He posted a wRC+ of 125, the fourth time in his big league career he’s reached or surpassed this mark. In addition to that, he finished with his fourth straight season with at least 3.5 fWAR.

Given how much they’ve spent already, the Pirates may be hesitant to jump in if he’s still projected to get a deal in the $20-25 million range per season. However, if his market continues to move slowly, this could be the perfect opportunity for the Pirates to add even more power to their 2026 lineup.

Alec Bohm (Philadelphia Phillies)

The Philadelphia Phillies have put themselves in quite an interesting position with their third baseman, Alec Bohm. He’s currently due $10.2 million in his final year of team control, and with our No. 12 prospect, Aidan Miller, inching ever closer to making his big league debut, now could be the time for the Phillies to move Bohm.

When it comes to his on-field production, Bohm was a pretty solid everyday player for the team last season. He slashed .287/.331/.409 with 11 homers and a 105 wRC+, and while that was nowhere near his all-star 2024 campaign, it was still a productive year. Bohm’s strikeout rate of just 16.3% was also an encouraging mark.

Amongst all of their additions this offseason, the Pirates have yet to touch their farm system too heavily. This could be the perfect opportunity to tap into their prospect capital and move an expendable piece for Bohm.

The player who immediately comes to mind for this deal is right-hander Thomas Harrington. He’s a former member of our Top 100, but due to an unproductive 2025 campaign, the path for Harrington to get into the rotation seems to be an uphill battle. Due to Bohm having just one year of control remaining, this could even potentially be a one-for-one swap.

Of all the third basemen available, Bohm might not be the best option due to his down year in 2025 and his $10.2 million price tag. However, it’s worth noting that Bohm is a known doubles machine, and PNC Park is the fourth-best park for doubles according to Statcast’s park factor.

All things considered, the question isn’t whether Bohm makes the Pirates lineup better or not, but by how much. If Bohm is the best possible option for the Pirates to upgrade at third base, they should consider making the move.

Davis Schneider (Toronto Blue Jays)

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays got the very best out of their superstar sluggers. From Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to George Springer, the pennant-winning franchise’s offense connected on all cylinders. Aside from their superstars, the Blue Jays also got a lot of production from their unsung heroes, and one of those players was Davis Schneider.

Although he only appeared in 82 of the team’s 162 games, Schneider put up impressive numbers when he took the field. The 26-year-old slashed .234/.361/.436 with 11 homers and a 127 wRC+. He also walked nearly 16% of the time and displayed an elite barrel rate.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the Toronto Blue Jays have been one of this winter’s biggest spenders. One of their bigger acquisitions was Japanese superstar third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, and his presence has made the Blue Jays infield very crowded heading into next season.

As a result of this, Schneider will likely be pushed to a full-time bench role, and that gives the Pirates the perfect opportunity to strike a deal. He shouldn’t cost more than a few mid-level prospects, and that is certainly a package the Pirates could put together.

The two major questions around Schneider are whether or not he can continue to hit at his 2025 pace over a full season and if he’d be able to handle third base full-time. In the one season in which Schneider played over 100 games, he posted a wRC+ of 80. Not only that, but in his career, he has only made four starts at third base.

If the Pirates feel as though the answer to both of those questions is yes, then he’s definitely worth taking a chance on.

Mark Vientos (New York Mets)

Similar to the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Mets have had quite an interesting offseason. They’ve been one of the biggest spenders on the free agent market for the second straight year, and have put together a very solid winter despite failing to retain some of their franchise favorites.

These moves have kept the Mets as one of the best teams in the National League, but they’ve left Mark Vientos in a spot where he’s likely going to be relegated to a bench role.

All things considered, 2025 was a strange year for Vientos offensively. He registered a wRC+ of 81 during the first half of the season but saw that mark jump to 116 in the second half. He ended up finishing the year with a respectable slash line of .233/.289/.413 with 17 homers and a 97 wRC+.

Even though Vientos seemingly corrected his offensive struggles during the second half, he’s currently the odd man out in the Mets’ infield. With an infield that now features Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco, not to mention Brett Baty, it’s going to be tough for the 26-year-old to find consistent playing time.

The Mets are also seemingly favoring the lefty-batting Baty over the righty-batting Vientos for their designated hitter spot, which further contributes to the idea that he’s become the odd man out. With that being said, now seems like a good opportunity for the Mets to move Vientos, and the Pirates are perfect suitors.

The price tag for Vientos will likely be higher than any player we’ve mentioned to this point. He’s under control until the 2030 season, and with Vientos hitting nearly 30 home runs just two years ago, he still possesses a lot of value. A trade would likely include multiple higher-end prospects, which would test how willing the Pirates are to tap into their farm system.

With this in mind, Vientos is still quite an interesting target for the Pirates. If he returns to his 2024 form, they could land a very valuable power-hitting third baseman for years to come.