Chris Cotillo has a report today that the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of five teams pursuing Sean Rodriguez. No word on the other teams who are in the mix.
Pirates are one of five suitors pursuing free-agent INF Sean Rodriguez, source says. Pittsburgh has expressed public interest in re-signing.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) November 15, 2016
This isn’t a big surprise, as the Pirates have been pretty high on Rodriguez the last few years. They traded for him prior to the 2015 season, and then signed him to a one year deal after a strong finish to that season. That worked out in a big way, as he put up a 1.9 fWAR off the bench, hitting for a .270/.349/.510 line in 342 plate appearances. He’s likely to receive a multi-year deal this year, and most projections I’ve seen have him making around $5 M per year. If he just puts up half of his 2016 production, he would be worth that amount.
If the Pirates signed Rodriguez, it would raise questions about their future off-season moves. They could play Rodriguez in the same role he played in 2016, using him as a super utility player on a strong bench. But it would also further deplete the money needed to sign rotation and bullpen help. Of course, if they traded Andrew McCutchen to address pitching, then it would make sense to add Rodriguez to help boost the position player depth, and the lack of funds for pitching help wouldn’t be a concern.
Another alternative would be that signing Rodriguez could open up a trade of Josh Harrison, as Rodriguez would be making about $7-8 M less than Harrison over the next two years.
The Pirates need pitching, but they did benefit from a strong bench last year. A big problem with their pitching was the lack of depth when guys got injured or played below expectations (the bigger problem was that almost every pitcher fit into one of these two categories). They had similar injuries and struggles from the offense, but they didn’t see the negative effects, due to the strong bench. So while the focus this off-season needs to be on pitching, it wouldn’t hurt to have a strong bench again to provide depth for the position player group.
UPDATE 11:46 PM: The Dodgers are another team looking at Rodriguez, according to Robert Murray of FanRag Sports. The Dodgers might have a better opportunity for playing time, with potential openings at second and third base. Plus, they’ve got unlimited funds, so if they want Rodriguez as a starter, they should be able to out-bid the Pirates.