Neil Walker could be a very good third baseman, and McCutchen could have a great career in centerfield. Top pick Pedro Alvarez (if he ever signs) appears to be a great hitter that would nicely fill in that hole left by Aramis Ramirez.
But even with that, they still don’t match up with the Rays. After adding Tabata, the Pirates now have four players in the Baseball America's top 100. The Rays could have probably had four in the top 10.
What’s a Buc To Do?
If management had any sense, they’d get out there and sign some free agents, but they won’t do that. Not any good ones at least.
They won’t sign a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Rafael Furcal because they’d cost too much, and they’d have to pay Jack Wilson $6 million to ride the pine.
They won’t do what they really should do, which is say “screw it” and break the bank on CC Sabathia or Ben Sheets. If they did that, not only would they win more games, but they’d keep them away from a division rival.
There are other options though.
They could sign a guy like Randy Wolf. Someone that is cheaper than the stars, but would still be consistent and an innings eater.
They could get bullpen help in Dan Wheeler or Rafael Soriano. These moves would at least improve the pitching, if not by a lot, then at least by enough to keep them close in a few more games.
By the end of next season, some more attractive free agents become available. Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene could be less expensive (yet very intriguing) options at shortstop.
Octavio Dotel and Fernando Rodney to improve the bullpen.
And if you were feeling like making a splash, there’s always Matt Holliday, Vladimir Guerrero, Carl Crawford, and Rich Harden.
No, they won’t sign those guys, but they should.
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