Pirates may have already made their splashy offseason moves

*Before I start, I would like to make it known that this is the first part of two. This is one side of the argument. The other part will be the other side of it. 

When the Pirates made the two big July trades of acquiring pitches Chris Archer and Keone Kela, the aim was of course to chase a playoff appearance in 2018. However, the bigger effect it has is to be seen in 2019 and beyond. The moves seemed to be more geared towards the future Pirates’ teams as opposed to the one we saw this past season. 

Chris Archer and Keone Kela both seemed destined to be dealt this past July, whether it was to the Pirates or to someone else. Neal Huntington snagged them knowing that if he didn’t get them then, he was not going to. 

So, it is a fair argument to say that Neal Huntington did indeed do some offseason shopping in July. But the bigger question that remains is whether these moves are just the start to Huntington building a solid contender through some major outside moves, or whether these were the only bigger moves we’ll see and if Archer ands Kela will wind up representing the big offseason additions for the Pirates. 

The Pirates will enter the offseason with somewhere around $70 million on the payroll if you include Polanco even though his DL status will mean he won’t be counted towards the active payroll until he is back, but his salary still factors in. This is also assuming the buyouts of Josh Harrison and Jung Ho Kang, which many think will be official shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. 

With this low of a payroll, it is assumed that the Pirates probably could make a splash this offseason. They probably have at least $20 million to spend even with the record low attendance in PNC Park’s history factoring into the revenue/expense equation. That is a significant amount. Maybe not significant enough to get a top player on the market, but definitely enough to get someone of note.

Despite this, however, I do not think the Pirates make another splash. I feel that they did the heavy lifting of adding significant outside pieces at the trade deadline by adding Archer and Kela and now any other additions will be to round out the edges of the roster. 

The Pirates spending even $15 million on a free agent, let alone $20 million, is a fantastical idea. There is no evidence to suggest it will happen. It doesn’t mean they can’t get a good player though. There will be plenty of players to get within the $7-10 million range that could really help out a team like the Pirates, and that is the market I expect the Pirates to shop this season, as well as constantly browsing the trade market as usual.

I do have to believe that Huntington will expand the payroll this offseason. I cannot imagine him foregoing the free agent market for a second consecutive year and risk the optics getting worse for this organization that seemed to regain a little bit of credibility in the city after trading for Archer and Kela. The degree in which people think the Pirates can and will spend and on who is a bit out of hand though. 

They will improve the team this offseason. They made that direction clear in July with the moves they made. But they may have already done the majority of the big work in acquiring major outside additions when they added Archer and Kela. Now, Neal Huntington’s goal this offseason will likely be to round out the roster with nice, but maybe not splashy, additions.