Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of seven teams who have checked in on free agent third baseman Eric Chavez. He lists the Pirates, Rangers, Rays, Braves, Diamondbacks, Nationals, and Yankees as teams who have “checked in with interest”.
You would have to think that the Pirates would be looking at Chavez as a bench player if they’re serious about him. He wouldn’t be bad in that role, which he showed last year with an .810 OPS and a .197 ISO. He has played first base and is good against right-handers, but he’s 36 years old and shouldn’t be an option for the first base platoon. As always in these situations, it’s hard to know what “interest” means.