Pittsburgh Pirates: Grading The Bucs’ Offseason Moves To Date

Notable Departures: OF Marlon Byrd, 1B Justin Morneau, 1B Garrett Jones, Michael McKenry

Oct 7, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Marlon Byrd (2) reacts after being called out on strikes against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning in game four of the National League divisional series at PNC Park. The St. Louis Cardinals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It would have been nice to see Byrd back for a year, but not at the price the Phillies paid for him. It was also no big loss on Morneau and Jones, given the price it would have cost to keep either around. They still need replaced, but it is only the first week of January and there is still time.

Notable Acquisitions:

Traded LHP Kris Johnson to Minnesota Twins for RHP Duke Welker: Welker got a short look last year and was dealt to the Twins along with Alex Presley in exchange for Morneau. Welker is an arm the Pirates like and although he will begin the season in the minors, he gives the team depth in the bullpen that will be needed throughout the season.

Traded 1B Alex Dickerson to the San Diego Padres for LF Jaff Decker and RHP Miles Mikolas: I hate the fact that they moved Dickerson. He has true power potential and given the fact that there is no depth in the organization at first base, the move makes little sense. Decker will fight for a spot on the Opening Day roster and could get some playing time in right field early on. I like his pedigree and he could play a role on this team.

Traded a Player to Be Named Later to the New York Yankees for C Chris Stewart: I like this move. While Stewart won’t likely hit his weight, the Bucs couldn’t go into another season with McKenry as the No. 2 catcher. Stewart is a massive upgrade over “The Fort” defensively and that’s all the Bucs really need from their No. 2 catcher. The move means Tony Sanchez won’t open the season on the big roster, but I like upgrading the position in the short term.

Signed free agent SS Clint Barmes: Barmes has his detractors because of his lack of production with the bat, but I love this move. The Pirates badly needed a good glove guy behind Jordy Mercer and they got the best one on the market. Take his offense out of the equation and Barmes still graded out among the best defenders in baseball. Mercer will be the starter, as he should, but the Bucs bring back a good glove guy and good locker room presence on a team-friendly deal.

Signed free agent RHP Edinson Volquez: I wasn’t a big fan of this move when it happened, especially for $5 million, but Volquez is the type of pitcher Ray Searage and company have had success turning around.  He still shows good velocity with his fastball. The chore is going to be to get him to throw strikes and get ground balls. Being that the same questions surrounded Francisco Liriano prior to last year, I will give Huntington the benefit of the doubt here. He’s earned that much.

Traded RHP Miles Mikolas to the Texas Rangers for 1B Chris McGuiness: Mikolas’ stay wasn’t long as he was shipped to the Rangers in exchange for the left-handed hitting first baseman. While McGuiness could start the season in a platoon with Gaby Sanchez, the reality is that this was likely a depth move. Huntington is still looking for a left-handed hitting first baseman.

Biggest Need: Left-handed hitting first baseman:

There’s no doubt that the Bucs need a first baseman. I’m very confident that Sanchez will continue to put up solid numbers against southpaws, but the Pirates have to have another competent bat at the position. Unlike the other positions of need, there’s no one in the system coming up soon. There’s always the chance that they feel Lambo could be the guy at first base and they are still linked to Ike Davis, but given the thin market I wouldn’t expect miracles.

Prediction: Other than waiting on Burnett, which I don’t think will work in the Pirates favor, I don’t see many more moves to be made. I foresee the Bucs heading into the season with a Sanchez-Lambo platoon at first base, which I don’t mind. I would rather see them employ this strategy of giving someone in the organization like Lambo a look instead of trading for a guy like Davis who has underachieved for most of his career. I see them starting the season in this fashion and if it doesn’t work out they can make a move during the season where there may be better options available.