PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t know when they’ll play baseball again, but there are still big moves they can make this offseason.
The annual General Managers Meetings take place in Las Vegas, Nev., this week, Nov. 9-12, where the 30 MLB general managers will meet with the media and also with fellow MLB personnel and agents.
It’s a big week for MLB, as an impending lockout that will start at midnight on Dec. 2 will shutter the annual Winter Meetings, which are another important time of the offseason.
Ben Cherington represents the Pirates as their general manager, and he has a few crucial days ahead of him for the team in 2027 and to deliver for a beleaguered fanbase.
What Pirates Fans Should Expect From GM Meetings
No. 1: Free Agent Talk Picks Up
Most MLB offseasons don’t have much free agent discussion until later November or really into December, when most of the signings take place.
The lockout will shutter all transactions, stopping teams from signing new players for the next season, until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached between the owners and the players’ union (MLBPA).
Without the Winter Meetings in early December, the GM Meetings will be a big step for front offices to meet with agents and begin working towards deals.
It’s tough to gauge what teams will do exactly, as the potential for a salary cap and floor, which the owners are proposing for the new CBA to take place in 2028, would impact teams going bigger or waiting for that to happen before doing so.
Free agents will likely look to try and sign before the Dec. 1 deadline, trying to get better deals before a new CBA is announced and do so with the possibility of lost games in 2027.
The last lockout saw teams spend almost $2 billion before the last lockout in December 2021, which only resulted in lost Spring Training games, but no regular season games.
Expect agents, their players and general managers to all meet with each other, as both sides look to see what the others are thinking and working towards before the lockout begins.
No. 2: Brandon Lowe Becomes a Hot Free Agent Name
The Pirates have one of the most consequential free agents they’ve had in a long time in second baseman Brandon Lowe this offseason.
Lowe was sensational for the Pirates, not only showing he’s the best power-hitting second baseman in baseball, but also that he was great defensively, a finalist for the National League Gold Glove Award.
The Pirates extended Lowe a qualifying offer, $23.15 million for 2027, but the 32-year-old will surely reject this by the Nov. 17 deadline and see what teams are offering him at this point.
Lowe is the Pirates’ biggest priority this offseason, as his play on the field and leadership off of it are crucial to the franchise’s goal of making it back to the postseason.
Other teams also want a better second baseman and the power/fielding that Lowe brings, and will surely talk to his representatives, The Bledsoe Agency, this week in Las Vegas.
The Pirates will surely face tough competition for his signature, and it could get tougher if teams see him as worth signing earlier than the lockout starts.
No. 3: Trades Start to Pick Up This Week
The trade market, much like its free agent counterpart, will start getting busier following the GM Meetings.
Teams may find that trading is easier than committing long-term contracts to players before a new CBA is agreed to, and results in less risk.
Pittsburgh loves a good trade, and their acquisition of Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery from the Tampa Bay Rays last offseason was one of the best moves Cherington has made since taking over after the 2019 season.
Teams will start looking to move players to free up money on their books, while other teams will part with future talent for players ready to contribute immediately.
The Pirates have a few offseason needs: more bullpen help, a third baseman, a right-handed power bat that can hit left-handed pitching and a left-handed starting pitcher.
Pittsburgh will also explore the free-agent market, but trades should play a big role for them in how they improve the team for a crucial 2027 campaign.
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