The Pittsburgh Pirates are showing a bit more aggression in free agency this offseason by making some signings and trades to help improve the offense.
Adding players like Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Ryan
O’Hearn shows an initiative to be better on offense. The team has also been connected to New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger in the past. If the Pirates want to truly show that they are serious about contending, they should sign Bellinger and make him part of their outfield.
“From 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP to non-tendered by the Dodgers after the 2022 season, Cody Bellinger has had an up and down career, but things have stabilized in recent years,” Bleacher Report contributor Joel Reuter wrote.
“Over the past three seasons playing for the Cubs and Yankees, he has a 125 OPS+ and 12.0 WAR, and his 29 home runs and 98 RBI this past season were his highest totals since his MVP campaign.
“Negotiations have reached an ”impasse” with the Yankees after many expected him to be back in the Bronx at the start of the offseason, and it will be interesting to see if he can top the reported $30 million per year they were willing to offer as he searches for a seven-year deal.“
Bellinger may not be the player he once was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he is still someone that would elevate the Pirates offense. If he were in the outfield alongside Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, it would give the Pirates one of the top outfields in the league.
Last year, Bellinger played at least 40 games in all three outfield positions, so he could fit in left, center, or right for the Pirates.
Some team is going to have to pay Bellinger, and if the Pirates have already made these investments to the offense earlier in the offseason, they might as well try to get a little better with adding arguably the best outfielder remaining in free agency.
