The end of the World Series this week was followed by the start of free agency on Thursday. All players with six or more years of service time, and without a contract for the 2025 season became free agents at 12:01 AM on October 31st.
For the Pirates, that list of five players was led by Andrew McCutchen and Aroldis Chapman. Also eligible were Ryan Borucki, Yasmani Grandal, and Jalen Beeks. Teams have five days, or until Monday at 5:00 PM EST, to exclusively negotiate with players before they can talk with other teams.
McCutchen is the most likely to return, and that will probably depend on whether he wants to return for another season. Pirates owner Bob Nutting has made the commitment that McCutchen will be a Pirate for as long as he wants to play the game. He’s still an above-average performer, in relation to the league, and has been one of the best performers on the team over the last two seasons.
Chapman was the biggest free agent signing under General Manager Ben Cherington, and finished the season as the team’s unofficial closer. He made $10.5 million this season, and probably would make a similar amount next year. The Pirates don’t have a great situation in their bullpen, so considering a return for Chapman would make sense.
The situation with Borucki is going to be interesting. He’s had success in a small sample with the Pirates, but missed most of the 2024 season with a nerve-related injury. Borucki returned in September and had an 8.22 ERA in 7.2 innings, which made up the majority of his 2024 playing time. It would make sense for the Pirates to bring him back on a smaller deal, giving Borucki the chance to bounce back to his 2023 numbers. The Pirates need lefty help, and his sweeper and versatility in roles gives him a lot of upside.
Grandal started the season with the expectation of being the veteran leader behind the plate. He struggled offensively, and eventually was the personal catcher of Paul Skenes. Around mid-season, he started hitting again. The defense is far from what it used to be, with issues catching the ball. Offensively, Grandal looked like he could still stick in the Majors with his second half work. He probably doesn’t make sense to the Pirates with the emergence of Joey Bart and the presence of Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez.
The Pirates traded for Beeks at the deadline, when they had Borucki delayed on rehab. The 31-year-old lefty allowed a 3.92 ERA in 20.2 innings with the Pirates, though he gave up a lot of inherited runs and had a 4.73 xFIP. The Pirates could turn to him this offseason with their need for lefty help, and with Borucki’s status questionable. They traded Luis Peralta for Beeks. The 23-year-old Peralta, who is also a lefty, pitched 12.1 innings in the Majors after the trade, with an 0.73 ERA and a 14:5 K/BB.
Beeks was one of the worst trades made by Cherington. The Rockies have an exciting, high strikeout lefty for the next six seasons. The Pirates spend their offseason looking for a rental lefty, with no help coming from the minors. Peralta was it, and the Pirates flipped him in his breakout season for a lefty rental who ultimately pitched eight more innings than Peralta, with worse results. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Pirates bring back Beeks, for optical reasons. I don’t think there’s any way to make that trade look good, unless Peralta ends up being a flash in the pan.
That’s unlikely, by my estimates.
