LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Before trade rumors involving Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole surfaced, third base was viewed as one position where the Pirates could add this offseason.
After all, they are working under the assumption Jung Ho Kang isn't returning in 2018, David Freese is 34 years old and Clint Hurdle has said repeatedly Freese can no longer handle the grind of playing every day.
It appears the Pirates might stick to the status quo, though.
Although Neal Huntington told reporters Monday at the Winter Meetings he will explore trade and free agent markets to find a complement for Freese, he expressed confidence in his internal options, specifically Sean Rodriguez, whom the Pirates re-acquired from the Braves in August.
"Part of the Sean Rodriguez acquisition was the thought process that [Jung Ho] Kang was probably not coming back," Huntington said from his suite at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. "Between [Adam] Frazier, [Josh] Harrison, [Max] Moroff and Sean, we believe we can more than complement David and give him the downtime he needs to remain fresh and remain strong."
Such a strategy would come with a significant amount of risk.
Although Freese was a Gold Glove finalist, he slashed .263/.368/.371 in 130 games, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 52. His Wins Above Replacement on offense was negative-4.1, per FanGraphs, which was 6.3 lower than that of Kang in 2016.
Rodriguez was limited to 54 games in 2017 after undergoing shoulder surgery following a horrific car accident in February. Signed by the Braves to a two-year, $11.5 million last November, Rodriguez returned from the disabled list in July, batting .167/.276/.295 in 153 plate appearances.
Rodriguez is hopeful he can return to form in 2018. He started his offseason training program earlier than usual to account for the time he missed and admitted he returned too soon to try to earn the contract the Braves gave him to be an everyday player.
The 32-year-old produced career highs in batting average (.270), home runs (18), RBI (56) and OPS+ (127) with the Pirates in 2016. His focus this offseason is to rediscover what he lost at the plate while strengthening his shoulder.
“Yeah, most of my career has been off the bench as a bench player, but I’ve always seen myself as a guy who can play every day, who wants to play every day, just because of the contribution I feel like I can bring to the table," Rodriguez said. "No, it doesn’t really matter where because if that’s the case, they’ll play that out in spring training. In the offseason, I do enough work between third, short, second and the outfield that I get, what, 20-30 games in spring training defensively at one position. I’ll be good to go.”
But Rodriguez hasn't played more than 14 games in a season at third base since 2012, when he appeared in 49 there for the Rays. Frazier would be an upgrade offensively over Freese, but he is inexperienced at third, having played only six games there over the past two seasons.
He slashed .276/.344/.399 with six home runs, 53 RBI and an OPS+ of 95 in 121 games in 2017. His .415 average with runners in scoring position after the All-Star break ranked fourth in Major League Baseball, so a more regular role would be beneficial for the Pirates' offense.
Harrison, meanwhile, might not be on the roster at the end of the Winter Meetings because he's reportedly a trade target of the Blue Jays and Mets. If he is traded, Frazier would likely become the starting second baseman, although the Pirates could acquire a replacement.
Moroff, meanwhile, has been inconsistent defensively at both shortstop and third base, plus he batted .200 with three home runs and 21 RBI in 56 games for the Pirates in 2017. He struck out in 30.7 percent of his plate appearances.
Huntington did not mention José Osuna as one of his internal options. Osuna is playing third base in the Venezuela Winter League and has received positive feedback from his manager, Henry Blanco, a former major league catcher who began his professional career as a third baseman.
Blanco, who played for Clint Hurdle in Colorado, told Hurdle last week that Osuna could play third base in the major leagues right now. Osuna could provide more power to a lineup in dire need of an impact bat.
If the Pirates don't make an addition, it appears Rodriguez and Frazier will receive the bulk of playing time behind Freese, although much can change between now and the start of spring training.
"We’ll explore it in the trade market and the free agent market, but again, Frazier being back in the infield mix and Rodriguez coming off a baseball offseason, we’re looking forward to seeing where they are and where they’re going to be," Huntington said.
• Huntington told reporters that Austin Meadows, Francisco Cervelli, Gregory Polanco and Josh Harrison are all healthy after each missed extended time because of injury in 2017.
• The expectation around the industry is this will be a very intriguing Winter Meetings since many contending teams dedicated so much time to trying to acquire Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton.
The Giants have been connected to Andrew McCutchen, as well as several other outfielders on the market. The Brewers, Rangers, Yankees, Twins, Mariners and Cubs are seeking starting pitching. Many of the top free agents still haven't signed.
Huntington, though, said he has not seen an increase in activity.
"Without getting into any specific conversations, we’ve had a number of conversations, free agent and trade, coming into the meetings, and we’ve had a number of conversations, free agent and trade, since being at the meetings," he said. "I think the Ohtani and Stanton moves are more of an ice breaker for those that talk about it. For us, we’ve continued to have conversations before and after, both free agent and trade, at all different levels."
• On Saturday at PiratesFest, Rodriguez candidly told reporters ownership's decision to trade away "a big piece of the core" negatively affected chemistry inside the clubhouse.
Huntington's response: "I respect the player’s passion. I respect Sean and the leadership that he shows in our clubhouse. We want them to be passionate. We want them to believe we can win. We want them to feel like they want us to be in with them. I think those are Sean’s feelings, and I respect those a ton. I’m not sure it’s feasible to connect with a player every single time something is written about them or every single time something they said is taken one way or another. They’re professionals. We’re professionals. We work hard to respect them and anticipate that we can earn their respect in the process as well."
• Huntington said the Pirates are in the market for bullpen help. Although he prefers to add a left-hander, the priority is adding the best possible reliever.
"It’s a matter of getting the best available guy for us. It doesn’t have to be a lefty. We talk about this year in and year out. Perfect world, yes, but we’d rather have a good right-hander than a mediocre left-hander."
The club is reportedly interested in left-hander Xavier Cedeño, a 31-year-old who appeared in only nine games in 2017 because of a forearm injury. Cedeño, who was a teammate of Felipe Rivero in the Nationals' organization, posted WHIPs of 1.14 and 1.19 in 2015 and 2016, respectively.