THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES NEED TO MAKE A SPLASH IN FREE AGENCY

Pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton for the Pittsburgh Pirates in less than two weeks. Despite the start of Spring Training being right around the corner, the team’s starting rotation still needs help.

As the 2019 season looms the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared primed to have one of the best starting rotations in the National Leagues. Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer, Trevor Williams, and Joe Musgrove gives the Bucs a top four that can stack up against just about any in the NL. That said the rotation still needs another piece.

As general manager Neal Huntington discussed at Pirate Fest last weekend, right now the plan is for Jordan Lyles to be the fifth starting pitcher. However, Lyles is better suited to pitch out of the bullpen and that is how the Pirates should be looking to use Lyles.

The Pirates need to address the final spot in their starting rotation. Nothing against Lyles, but he is not good enough as a starter if the Pirates want to compete for the postseason. The Bucs also have plenty of money left to spend as their current projected payroll is around $72 million. Due to the money they have left to spend, the Pirates need to make a splash in free agency by signing former American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.

Despite being the best starting pitcher on the free agent market this offseason, Keuchel remains unsigned as Spring Training looms. There are few teams that would benefit more from signing Keuchel than the Pirates. On top of making their starting rotation one of the absolute best in all of baseball, signing Keuchel would also bring the much maligned Pirate front office a lot of good PR while buying them some much needed goodwill with portions of the fan base.

In 1,189 1/3 career innings pitched, Keuchel owns a 3.66 ERA and a 3.72 FIP. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner has averaged a 3.2 fWAR the past six seasons with the Houston Astros, and has become one of the best left-handed starters in the game.

Keuchel’s pitching style is one that would fit what the Pirates look for as well. The Pirate value pitchers with strong control and groundball numbers. His lifetime 7.0% walk rate and 58.8% groundball rate both fit these molds. Also, PNC Park is a great pitcher’s park for left-handed hurlers.

As the offseason drags on and he remains unsigned, Keuchel is more likely to accept a one or two year contract with a team. This is something that would work for the Pirates. Signing Keuchel to a shorter contract would include less financial risk and commitment. Also, with top prospect Mitch Keller looming at Triple-A and the team’s other four starting pitchers all controlled through at least the 2021 season, the need to sign a top flight starting pitcher to a massive contract just isn’t there.

Signing a pitcher the caliber of Keuchel would undoubtedly be a boost to the Pirate clubhouse and clubhouse moral, too. When the team added Archer at the trade deadline last July Pirate players took to twitter to express their excitement. They did the same when meeting with the media in the coming days. Adding Keuchel would have a similar impact, and that can make a world of difference for any baseball team.

With a pitcher like Keuchel in the mix the Pirates become a legitimate playoff contender due to their starting rotation. This is one of the reasons why the team needs to target him in free agency between now and the start of Spring Training on February 13th.