With seven outfielders listed on their 40-man roster, the Pirates added another for spring training Friday when they announced the signing of veteran Daniel Nava to a minor-league contract.
Nava, 34, also received an invitation to join the Pirates in Bradenton, and the switch-hitter could potentially emerge as a platoon option for Clint Hurdle in left field. Although Nava could fill one of the club's needs in 2018, he's another bargain find for a club that appears intent on going younger and spending less.
So, with the free-agent market still flooded with veterans, where else could the Pirates add before opening day March 29th in Detroit?
Barring a trade — particularly one involving Josh Harrison — any addition would likely be similar to Nava. He could bring value as a platoon against right-handed pitching after he excelled in such a role with the Phillies last season.
He batted .301/.393/.421 in 80 games in 2017 with extreme splits between right- and left-handed pitching. On one hand, Nava has proven capable of working the count and showed impressive discipline at the plate with 38 strikeouts to 26 walks last season. But he's batted just .211/.296/.293 against lefties in his major league career, compared to .281/.374/.404 against right-handers.
Nava was also a plus-defender for much of his career before recording negative-3 defensive runs saved for the Phillies last season. Rather than making a risky, more expensive short-term commitment with a free-agent outfielder such as Carlos Gonzalez, the Pirates chose a low-risk addition.
But Nava does not address the Pirates' need for more power, and the potential starting left fielder for the club, Adam Frazier, batted .304 against lefties last season. Additionally, Sean Rodriguez and Jordan Luplow both excel against left-handed pitching.
So, is Nava actually an upgrade over either player?
Nava would bring a veteran presence to a young clubhouse, and he did help the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013. He batted .303 with 12 home runs and 66 RBI in a career-high 134 games, but his production has dipped significantly since.
Sure, the Pirates are in need of an impact bat in left field, but any free-agent signings over the next six weeks are likely going to be either pitching help or perhaps another infielder. After all, the club already addressed one of its needs last month when it added catcher Ryan Lavarnway on a minor-league contract.
Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz will be the two catchers on the Pirates' 25-man roster, however, they wanted to have another veteran catcher in the fold in the event of an injury and to potentially serve as a mentor to the pitching staff in Triple-A Indianapolis.
Lavarnway, 30, has appeared in only six major league games over the past two seasons, but he is a stronger option defensively than Jacob Stallings, who remains on the Pirates' 40-man roster.
Perhaps the Pirates could add an additional starting pitcher to the fold. They were connected to veteran Jaime Garcia early this offseason and could benefit from adding competition for the rotation in spring training. Of the 10 current non-roster invitee pitchers, none are starters who could realistically push Joe Musgrove, Steven Brault or Tyler Glasnow for the fifth spot in the rotation.
The Pirates could benefit from the slow-moving free-agent market, where many veterans are still without jobs, such as Andrew Cashner, Jason Vargas and Brandon McCarthy. They could also choose to add to the bullpen, despite acquiring Kyle Crick and Michael Feliz via trade.
The group is quite crowded with Crick, Feliz, Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, Daniel Hudson, Edgar Santana, Dovydas Neverauskas, A.J. Schugel and the newly-acquired Josh Smoker. The Pirates also added Tyler Jones, Richard Rodriguez, Bo Schultz and John Stilson on minor-league contracts.
But Neal Huntington has always preferred to give Hurdle as many bullpen arms as possible at the start of spring training. As a result, competition eventually sorts itself out, and this club has a long history of helping relievers resurrect their careers.
Realistically, the Pirates' plan for the next six weeks will be determined by the status of Harrison. The Mets' signing of Todd Frazier leaves the Yankees with rookies Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres as their top options at third and second base, respectively.
The Yankees reportedly expressed interest in Harrison when the two clubs were discussing a Gerrit Cole trade in December, and they are aware of which prospects in their system would be of interest to the Pirates. The club also is reportedly interested in free agent infielder Eduardo Nunez, but they're facing competition from a number of clubs.
The biggest obstacle to a trade of Harrison is his $10.25 million salary for 2018, and his statement released to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal last month put the Pirates in an awkward position. Harrison said he'd prefer to be traded if the Pirates did not intend to compete in 2018, which could give interested clubs leverage in negotiations.
If Harrison is traded, the Pirates would surely add another infielder to the fold, as Rodriguez would likely be thrust into a starting role at second base. But Huntington's words to the media, as well as his offseason activity of adding through minor-league contracts and waiver claims, show the Pirates are unlikely to make any significant addition as they opt for youth over veterans.