Pirates Miss Out on Jorge Polanco as Offseason Urgency Grows
The Pittsburgh Pirates had their sights set on Jorge Polanco. On paper, he looked like a perfect fit: a switch-hitting second baseman with pop, a proven track record, and a reasonable price tag. But instead of suiting up in black and gold, Polanco is headed to Queens, inking a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets.
For a Pirates team that desperately needs offensive firepower - and, by all accounts, has the payroll flexibility to make a move - this one stings. Polanco mashed 26 home runs last season and posted a 134 wRC+, making his contract one of the more team-friendly deals in this winter’s free-agent market. Coming on the heels of Pittsburgh also missing out on Kyle Schwarber, it’s fair to wonder: how many more swings are they going to take - and miss?
A Market That Won’t Wait
The Winter Meetings are in the rearview mirror, and the hot stove is cooling fast. The Pirates can’t afford to sit back much longer.
They’ve made some moves - acquiring rookie outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia in the Johan Oviedo trade was a smart, forward-looking play by GM Ben Cherington. But Garcia, talented as he may be, isn’t a plug-and-play solution for a lineup that ranked near the bottom of the league in power production.
Waiver claim Marco Luciano brings some intrigue, but again, he’s more lottery ticket than lineup anchor at this point. The Pirates need proven bats - and soon.
There are still viable options out there. Brandon Lowe could be pried away from Tampa Bay, and Ryan O’Hearn remains available in free agency.
Both bring left-handed power and positional versatility, which the Pirates could certainly use. But the window for acquiring top-end talent is closing, and Pittsburgh’s margin for error is razor-thin.
Payroll Questions and Trade Dilemmas
The Pirates have made noise about being willing to expand payroll this offseason. But there’s a difference between being willing and actually doing it.
The reality is, they’re not in the mix for the likes of Bo Bichette or Kyle Tucker. And the trio of top-tier Japanese free agents - Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, and Tatsuya Imai - are likely out of reach as well.
To complicate matters further, Ketel Marte reportedly has the Pirates on his five-team no-trade list. That’s the kind of detail that underscores the challenges Pittsburgh faces when trying to land elite talent via trade - especially when their best chips are on the pitching side, and the team can’t afford to weaken its most promising unit just to patch holes in the lineup.
Trading from a position of strength is one thing. But dealing away arms from a rotation that includes Paul Skenes - arguably the most electric young pitcher in the game - would be a tough pill to swallow, especially when there are still bats available in free agency that wouldn’t cost any prospects at all.
A Familiar Pattern - and a Clock That’s Ticking
The Pirates haven’t handed out a multi-year contract since Iván Nova in 2016. That’s nearly a decade without committing long-term to any free agent.
Whether that’s by design or circumstance, the pattern is hard to ignore. And while it’s tempting to believe the team has been making good-faith offers to players like Schwarber and Josh Naylor, the results speak for themselves: no deals, no upgrades, and no major additions.
The longer this offseason drags on without a splash, the more it feels like Pittsburgh is once again playing the waiting game - a dangerous strategy when the goal is to build around a young, controllable pitching core and push toward contention.
Paul Skenes isn’t going to be this dominant forever. The Pirates have a rare opportunity to build something special around him and a quietly improving rotation.
But that only works if the offense can hold up its end of the bargain. Right now, it can’t.
There’s still time. The market hasn’t completely dried up.
But the Pirates need to act - decisively and soon - if they want to avoid another offseason of missed opportunities and what-ifs. Because if they don’t, they risk wasting not just this winter, but the momentum they’ve quietly been building toward a brighter future.