The Pirates head into 2027 with a clear problem at third base, and free agency could be the easiest place to solve it.
Pittsburgh never really had a true answer at the position in 2026, and while Nick Gonzales showed he can hit, his defense made him a liability in big spots. The club would benefit from a real third baseman, ideally one who can also bring some pop to the lineup.
There are three free-agent names the Pirates could realistically weigh: Alec Bohm, Eugenio Suárez and Edmundo Sosa.
Bohm is the most established of the group. He spent his entire career with the Phillies after they picked him third overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Wichita State, and he has played 874 games over the past seven seasons, mostly as their regular third baseman. Offensively, he has been a steady if unspectacular bat, hitting .273/.325/.410 with a .735 OPS in his career and averaging about 15 home runs over the last five seasons.
His 2026 season was uneven. Bohm hit .249/.315/.383 for a .698 OPS and got off to a slow start, not climbing above .500 until mid-May.
He did finish stronger, posting a .298/.369/.425 line with a .794 OPS in the second half. He also handled left-handed pitching well, batting .292/.333/.483 with an .816 OPS.
The problem, as usual, was the glove. Bohm was again a poor defender in 2026, finishing at -10 defensive runs saved, -8 outs above average and -8 fielding run value.
That makes him a tricky fit for Pittsburgh. The Pirates could hope for better consistency and improved defense, but they would have to decide whether he is worth the price.
Gonzales actually posted a higher OPS last season at .755, and while he was worse defensively, Bohm has not been much better. Gonzales would also cost far less, since he is in his first year of arbitration.
Suárez is another name the Pirates have already considered. They showed interest in him last offseason before he returned to the Reds on a one-year, $15 million deal. Now that his mutual option for 2027 has been declined, he is back on the market.
His 2026 numbers were down from the year before, when he hit .228/.298/.526 with 49 home runs and 118 RBI. This past season, Suárez batted .212/.307/.433 with 26 home runs and 74 RBI.
Like Bohm, he started slowly, hitting .208/.285/.388 with 11 home runs in the first half, then improved after the break with a .216/.333/.490 line and 15 home runs. He was not strong against lefties in 2026, either, hitting .181/.333/.381, though his career numbers against them are better at .244/.348/.469.
Defensively, he was also a negative, finishing with -4 DRS, -7 OAA and -6 FRV.
The appeal with Suárez is obvious: right-handed power. The concern is age. He will be 36 next season, and there is always the risk of a sharp decline.
If Pittsburgh wants flexibility more than anything, Sosa may be the cleanest fit. He has spent most of his career in the infield, with experience at second base, shortstop and third base, and he even saw time in left field with the Phillies last season.
At third base, he has been a strong defender, with +7 DRS, +7 OAA and +4 FRV in his career. His numbers are similarly solid at second base and even better at shortstop, where he has posted +19 DRS, +17 OAA and +12 FRV.
At the plate, Sosa is more of a complementary bat than a middle-of-the-order answer. He has hit .256/.306/.417 with a .723 OPS in 569 games, and he has been especially good against left-handed pitching, batting .273/.326/.479 with an .806 OPS. The biggest drawback is that he has never been a full-time starter and has never played more than 110 games in a season, which works out to about 68 percent of a 162-game schedule.
Still, Sosa would be the cheapest option of the three, and if the Pirates value his versatility, he could be their best free-agent choice this offseason.
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