10/12/14

Free Agency: What Will the Pirates Do?

Immediately after the World Series is over, all players eligible for free agency will become free agents. The Pirates have four players who are set to become free agents. Pitchers Edinson Volquez and Francisco Liriano, catcher Russell Martin, and infielder Clint Barmes are all set to hit the free agent market this fall. The Pirates will have a lot of decisions to make this off season.

I believe that the Pirates should work extremely hard to retain catcher Russell Martin. Martin has proven that he is a key piece to the Pittsburgh Pirates roster. In his two seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Martin has compiled a batting average of .256 to go along with 26 home runs and 122 runs batted in. On the defensive side, Martin threw out 73 of 185 base runners attempting to steal with a 39% success rate. Martin also helped the Pirates get into the playoffs for the past two seasons. Another reason why the Pirates should try to retain Martin is that the free agent market for catchers is very weak. While there are veteran catchers on the market like A.J. Pierzynski and Ryan Doumit, many of these catchers are older and do not have much more play ahead of them. This is why I believe that it is important for the Pirates to bring back Russell Martin.

Another topic to discuss is the first base situation. Ike Davis and Gaby Sanchez both had sub par seasons. The Pirates may look for an upgrade. The downside is that the first base market is very weak. Many of the players will be looking to make over $10 million. My idea is that if the Pirates are unable to re-sign Russell Martin, they should sign Chase Headley. Headley is normally a third baseman, but has had some experience at first base. Another upside to this is that he is a switch hitter, meaning that he can bat both right-handed and left-handed. I believe that Chase Headley would be a good addition to the Pirates.

The Pirates should also look to fix their bullpen. The bullpen struggled a lot this season. The Pirates should think about getting rid of both Jeanmar Gomez and John Axford. In my opinion, they should keep Tony Watson, Mark Melancon, John Holdzkom, and Jared Hughes. I believe that the Pirates should keep an eye on free agent relief pitchers Joba Chamberlain and Phil Coke. Both pitchers spent the 2014 season with the Detroit Tigers and I believe that they would help the Pirates bullpen.

The Pirates will have a lot to do this off season. They will need to figure out the catcher situation, fix up the first base situation, fix the bullpen, and add a starting pitcher or two. It will be interesting to see what the Pirates will do. I have given my opinion. I would like to hear your opinion. In the comments below, I would like to hear your ideas about what the Pirates should do this off season.