The Position Pirates Must Address For a Successful Offseason
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates improved across all areas of their roster, but there is one position they must get better at.
Third base is one of the Pirates' major needs this offseason, and they need to find ways they can address it, especially if they have postseason ambitions.
The Pirates have internal options, but their best bet is to look externally for this addition, whether in free agency or by trade.
Pittsburgh failed to address third base last offseason, so they can't make the same mistake this winter.
Why Third Base Was a Problem for the Pirates Last Season
Ke'Bryan Hayes was supposed to be the long-term solution for the Pirates at third base, signing an eight-year, $70 million extension in 2022 and having a great showing in 2023.
Hayes' back injuries set him back in 2024 and then the Pirates traded him and the rest of his contract to the Cincinnati Reds at the 2025 deadline.
Moving Hayes was the right move, as he had an awful 2026 and is one of the worst hitters in the game, but the Pirates didn't add someone to replace him, especially his Gold Glove defense.
Nick Gonzales moved to third base for the first time in his professional career after the Pirates traded for second baseman Brandon Lowe last offseason, keeping him and his bat in the lineup.
Gonzales had his best season at the plate, .303/.367/.388 for an OPS of .755, with 167 hits, 27 doubles, six home runs and 61 RBI, posting the sixth-best batting average and 20th-best on-base percentage in baseball, while leading the Pirates and tied for the 13th-most hits.
His improvements at the plate were almost undone by his terrible defensive showing, -15 defensive runs saved and -11 outs above average, the worst marks for any third baseman with 850 innings played.
The Pirates had other players at third base in 2026: utility men Jared Triolo starting 27 games, Nick Yorke starting 20 games and Tyler Callihan starting four games, while Jacob Gonzalez made 10 starts later on.
Those four options were poor offensively, and while Triolo provides great defense, the Pirates needed him more at shortstop, especially with rookie Konnor Griffin missing 73 games due to two injuries in 2026.
How Do the Pirates Address Third Base?
Gonzales and Triolo will be important players of the Pirates in 2027, but there's a big area of growth that an additional third baseman can bring.
The Pirates need more power from third base, as their 15 home runs were the fifth-fewest from the position, and their .350 slugging percentage was the sixth-lowest and their .677 OPS was the 10th-lowest.
Rising prospect Murf Gray could become that player, especially after an incredible 2026 campaign, but he hasn't played at Triple-A yet and will need time to develop into that every-day third baseman the Pirates hope he can become.
Pittsburgh did target a power-hitting third baseman last offseason, Eugenio Suárez, but he re-signed with his former team, the Reds.
The Pirates also need another right-handed power, preferably one that can hit left-handed pitching, and both of those needs can come at third base.
Kazuma Okamoto, another Pirates offseason target, would've been exactly what they needed, but the Japanese star signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and his 33 home runs tied for second-most at the position in 2026.
I've suggested trading for Baltimore Orioles' Coby Mayo and Houston Astros' Isaac Paredes previously, both right-handed power bats who hit 20+ home runs in 2026.
Both players aren't strong defensively, but they're less of a liability than Gonzales, while providing necessary power.
The Pirates can go in different directions at third base, but they seriously need to make and addition heading into 2027.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.