Seattle Mariners’ Ty France, right, pours water over Eugenio Suarez in the dugout after Suarez hit a three-run walkoff home run to win a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the10th inning Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a legitimate push to try and sign Kyle Schwarber, reportedly offering him a four-year contract for roughly $30 million per season. In the end, though their offer was somewhat competitive, Schwarber re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for five years and $150 million.
To say that it was surprising to see the Pirates go to the level they did to try and land Schwarber would be the understatement of the year. The largest contract the Pirates have ever given out in free agency was a three-year pact for $39 million to bring back Francisco Liriano over a decade ago.
While their efforts came up short, it proves the Pirates are serious about adding impact bats to the lineup and are willing to spend at a level they’ve never done before.
Although Schwarber is off the board, there are still plenty of possibilities left on the free agent market, and if the Pirates were willing to offer that much money once, they should be willing to do it again.
Here are several players they should pursue as aggressively as Schwarber.
1B Pete Alonso
After Schwarber, Alonso is probably the best pure slugger available in free agency.
Across seven big-league seasons with the New York Mets, Alonso has a .253/.341/.516 batting line with 264 home runs and 712 RBI in just over 1,000 games. This past season, he hit a career-best .272 with an .871 OPS, led the league with 41 doubles and totaled 38 home runs and 126 RBI.
One of Alonso’s best attributes — in addition to his power — is is durability. The 31-year-old hasn’t missed a game over the past two seasons, has played at least 160 games four times in his career and hasn’t missed more than 10 games in any of his seven years in the big leagues.
An offer would likely have to be in the ballpark of what the Pirates proposed Schwarber, and while adding Alonso would create some defensive questions with Spencer Horwitz, he’s exactly the kind of bat that’s so desperately needed.
1B/OF Cody Bellinger
While Alonso is strictly a first baseman, Bellinger has played all three outfield spots and could void for the Pirates in PNC Park’s spacious left field.
In his first season with the New York Yankees in 2025, Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with 25 doubles, five triples, 29 home runs, 98 RBI and 13 stolen bases across 154 games. Over the last three years, Bellinger has a an .815 OPS (125 OPS+) with 77 doubles, nine doubles, 73 home runs, 273 RBI and 42 stolen bases.
The 30-year-old offers value at the plate, in the field and on the bases. Because of that, he could land a deal larger than Schwarber or Alonso. But he — like Alonso — wouldn’t cost the Pirates a draft pick as neither player was eligible to receive the qualifying offer this winter.
3B Eugenio Suarez
While Alonso and Bellinger represent the biggest splashes the Pirates could make, Suarez is probably more realistic given there won’t be as big of a bidding war to get him.
That’s not to say that Suarez isn’t a good player because he is. The 34-year-old was an All-Star this past season and hit 49 home runs with 118 RBI in 159 games between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. He has a career .246/.328/.464 batting line with 325 home runs and 949 RBI in 1,630 games across 12 big-league seasons.
Though he’s not a particularly strong defender, Suarez would slide in at third base and give a team that finished last in home runs in 2025 by a wide margin an instant power boost. He’s probably looking at a deal for two or three years.
2B Jorge Polanco
A report came out earlier in the day that Polanco might not want to sign with the Pirates because he wants to win. But that shouldn’t rule the Pirates out from aggressively pursing him if they feel he’s the right fit.
Polanco was teammates with Suarez in Seattle last season and help lead the Mariners to the ALCS after hitting .265 with an .821 OPS, 30 doubles, 26 home runs an and 78 RBI in 138 games.
It will take a multi year deal to sign the 32-year-old, and the Pirates might have to overpay to get him, but as a switch-hitter who could make a real impact he should be of interest. And while he wants to play for a winner, it would be of beneficial to the Pirates that he has been one for much of the last decade.
The Japanese Stars
There are two players from Japan who have been posted and are expected to land with MLB teams this offseason: corner infielders Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto.
Murakami is in a tier above Okamoto given his age and career in Japan. The 25-year-old Murakami was limited to 69 games in the NBP this past season due to an injury but slashed .286/.392/.659 with 24 home runs. He’s said to have potential 80-grade power and twice won the league’s MVP.
Okamoto, who is four years older than Murakami, hit .322 with a .992 OPS, 23 doubles, 15 home runs and 51 RBI in 77 games. He has the potential to be a serviceable third baseman while Murakami is likely a first baseman/designated hitter.
Both players come with obvious risk but plenty of upside.
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