The Pittsburgh Pirates have made some splashes so far this offseason: Being a part of a three-team trade that brought in Jake Mangum, Mason Montgomery, and all-star Brandon Lowe, along with signing all-star Ryan O’Hearn to a multi-year contract.

This is a huge step in the right direction for the team, but there are still holes in the lineup. The biggest is at third base.

Last season, they traded away Ke’Bryan Hayes, who has been the starting third baseman since 2021. Jared Triolo stepped in to fill his spot but is not an everyday third baseman. There are still plenty of free agents left to replace Hayes, but two main ones are Eugenio Suarez and Yoan Moncada.

Suarez would be a huge pickup for the Pirates. The 34-year-old is going into his 13th year in the majors and he is still in his prime. Last year with Arizona and Seattle, he hit 49 home runs and had a 3.6 WAR. Suarez is projected to make around $20 million a year. If the Pirates sign him, it would help the lineup indefinitely.

Moncada would not be as good of a pickup as Suarez, but he would be a lot cheaper. Due to injuries, he has not played to his full potential and would platoon with Triolo at third. Throughout 84 games last year, he hit .234 and had a 0.7 WAR, which is not amazing. Suarez would be a much better get for the team, but if they end up with Moncada, the team is still being improved.

Another weak spot on the team is the bullpen, which looks like one of the worst in all of baseball. They brought in Montgomery from Tampa and signed Gregory Soto, but they need one more right-handed reliever. They do not need to sign anyone big, but if they could sign a guy like Michael Kopech, who is cheap and gets outs, that would fill the spot.

Even if the Pirates do not make any more moves, the team is looking a lot better than previous years. They do not look like a World Series team, but they are not a dumpster fire.