Things are likely to be quiet on the Pirates' front at the Winter Meetings next week.
That is primarily because Neal Huntington did most of his winter-type work in the middle of this past summer. In late July, the Pirates acquired pitchers Chris Archer from the Rays and Keone Kela from the Rangers in trades. Archer provides a front-end arm to the starting rotation, and Kela gives the Pirates another big bullpen option in front of Felipe Vazquez.
Thus, Huntington now is looking for complementary pieces for the pitching staff, primarily a left-hander who could work in setup or middle relief.
He has checked off the top two items on his offseason things-to-do list by signing Lonnie Chisenhall as a free agent and trading with the Indians for Erik Gonzalez. Chisenhall is expected to begin the season as the primary right fielder while Gregory Polanco recovers from left shoulder surgery. Gonzalez could be the No. 1 shortstop or share the position with rookie Kevin Newman.
While Huntington will continue to fill in around the margins and look to add depth, a strong case can be made that the Pirates' roster is relatively set for the March 28 opener at Cincinnati.
The Pirates often look to trade players one year before they can reach free agency, as they did last winter with Andrew McCutchen. Three players fit that category: Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova and Corey Dickerson.
Talking on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, multiple executives from major league teams told DKPittsburghSports.com there is a sense Cervelli and Nova could be had in a trade. However, they also said the Pirates are not actively shopping either player.
Dickerson is likely to have a salary of $8 million in 2018, as he is eligible for arbitration. However, none of the executives have the sense the Pirates are looking to trade the Gold Glove-winning left fielder.
The meetings begin Monday in Las Vegas and run through Thursday.