The Pittsburgh Pirates are exploring their options at first base. While the club thinks that Mike Napoli would be an ideal fit, they may not be able to meet his contract demands. According to Jayson Stark, the Pirates have inquired about Mitch Moreland and Adam Lind, and are also pursuing James Loney in free agency.
Unless the Pirates can manage to land an everyday player such as Napoli, a lefthanded bat would be a solid acquisition.
Overall, first baseman for the Pirates hit just .243/.324/.402, with a 104 wRC+ and just 0.4 fWAR. They hit just 22 home runs, which was the 7th fewest in the major leagues. Against right-handed pitching, these numbers fell to .235/.309/.393.
None of the above options would break the bank for the cost-conscious Pirates. The Toronto Blue Jays picked up Lind’s 2014 option at $7 million, and he has two more club options for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Moreland doesn’t hit free agency until 2017. Loney’s numbers fell after an excellent first half and he doesn’t have typical first baseman power, but he is a solid defender with good contact skills. He’ll probably cost about the same in free agency as Lind.
Though Napoli would be the splashy name, the Pirates are probably better off going with a platoon at first base. Steamer Projections predicts Napoli will produce a .239/.342/.456 line with 2.4 fWAR.
The combination of Sanchez and one of the above lefthanded hitters can produce about 2.5 fWAR at a lower cost. Or, they can give rookie Andrew Lambo a shot.
The Pirates have made a series of solid pickups over the last couple of offseasons, pairing a reasonably priced lefthanded bat with Sanchez at first base would be another.
