MLB Payroll Analysis and Offseason Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates

With the offseason approaching in less than two months, and all teams’ rosters mostly settled for the year, it’s a good time to start looking at the payroll situation for each MLB team. We continue the series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At 74-75 (as of September 20), this season has been a clear disappointment for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After three consecutive, albeit unsuccessful, playoff appearances, the team was looking to take the next step this year. With the combination of injury troubles, a struggling Andrew McCutchen, and a descending pitching staff, the Pirates have hovered around .500 most of the year. With the Chicago Cubs having their own historic season in the NL Central, Pittsburgh has quietly fallen short of expectations.

After finishing 11th in runs scored last season, the Pirates are now 13th. This doesn’t seem to be the problem. It’s the pitching staff which has dropped from 2nd to 15th in ERA from 2015 to 2016 that is the culprit. An inconsistent season from ace Gerrit Cole coupled with the poor season leading to his departure from Francisco Liriano has held the Bucs back all season.

The bullpen has been steady, with more than a few players having good seasons. The focus can be made on the starting rotation, as its collective ERA of 4.68 is 22nd in MLB.

Though not eliminated from the playoffs yet, the Pirates should start looking at next season soon. At five games behind the Giants for the second Wild Card spot with the Cardinals to pass, Pittsburgh is a long shot to be playing meaningful October baseball with only 13 games left on the year.

A mid-tier team as far as payroll goes, the Pirates have done well to lock down their own homegrown stars. Their outfield, along with Josh Harrison, David Freese and Francisco Cervelli are under contract for the foreseeable future. Pitching will be the focus all offseason, as the team will look to fill in a rotation that should see youngsters Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow pitch behind Cole.

There are some decisions to make on offense, such as the free agency of role players Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce. These are only two of five free agents for the Pirates, as they will have plenty of decisions to make once they are done watching the World Series from home. Let’s begin by taking a look at these upcoming free agents and what Pittsburgh is expected to do.

Note: Only players on 40-man roster/60-day DL with MLB experience accounted for. Players who are not on a 40-man, or on a 40-man without MLB experience have not had their service clocks started.

All stats courtesy of Fangraphs unless otherwise noted.