According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been scouting first baseman Mike Carp of the Boston Red Sox. He also mentions that the Milwaukee Brewers have been looking at Carp. Early in the off-season, there were a lot of teams interested in Carp, but the Red Sox were asking a lot in return.
Carp would give the Pirates a 27-year-old lefty first baseman with three years of control left. He is due to make $1.4 M this year, coming off a season in which he hit .296/.362/.523 in 86 games for the Red Sox. He had just 28 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in 2013 and in his five big league seasons, he is hitting .295/.337/.455 in 156 at-bats against lefties. Those numbers are actually slightly better than his numbers against right-handed pitchers.
He is seen as a platoon option, but his numbers against lefties have actually been decent in limited exposure. Carp has also played left field during his career, including 31 starts there in 2013, so he could also provide outfield depth, though there is obviously a big difference between left field at Fenway Park and left field at PNC Park.
