Fansided

One free agent each MLB team needs to target this offseason

By Joshua Sadlock

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 25: Drew Smyly #18 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 25: Drew Smyly #18 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates: Drew Smyly

There really doesn’t seem to be much of a plan coming out of Pittsburgh and the Pirates organization. The franchise is still seeking a new general manager and front office after Neal Huntington was fired at the end of the year. The Pirates were trying to rebuild on the fly after trading Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen for MLB-ready prospects and giving up on Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows for Chris Archer.

The Pirates limped to their worst record since 2010 last season and will be breaking in a new manager along with their front office in 2020. Huntington was the architect of the roster that got to the playoffs three years in a row, but his final round of moves were largely flops, especially the Archer trade. That one could go down as one of the worst in MLB history.

What needs to happen in Pittsburgh is a total overhaul, as the Pirates are way behind their competition. Even the Reds have passed them by. The smart thing to do this winter is wave the white flag and begin looking toward the future.

It will remain to be seen how well the new coaching staff builds upon the legacy of Ray Searage when it comes to rehabbing veteran pitchers, but left-hander Drew Smyly would be an interesting lab rat for the Pirates. The 30-year-old’s career has been ravaged by injuries, but he managed to top 100 innings in 2019 after missing all of 2017 and 2018. Smyly ended the year with 12 solid starts for the Phillies where he went 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA and struck out 9.8 per nine.

As a low-risk signing with high upside, the Pirates could do much worse than Smyly.

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