The Pittsburgh Pirates have made more inroads this offseason than usual in terms of improving their MLB roster.
They traded for Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia, and they signed Ryan O'Hearn in free agency.
Now's the chance for them to continue to push the envelope a bit.
ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote in a new article on Friday that he thinks the Pirates should still try to add a starting pitcher.
The three veterans Schoenfield names as possibilities: Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito and Nick Martinez.
Bassitt is coming off a quality season with the Blue Jays. Giolito pitched well for the Red Sox when healthy. And Martinez would stay in the NL Central after pitching for the Reds.
"The Pirates might get in this mix as well -- or they should, anyway," Schoenfield writes. "Their rotation currently ranks sixth in the FanGraphs projections, but that's primarily due to the awesomeness of Paul Skenes. After trading Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros in the three-team trade that brought in Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays, plus trading Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox, the Pirates' depth is thin. They're hoping that Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft can handle a full-season workload."
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Between Burrows and Oviedo, the Pirates have traded away two starting pitchers this offseason.
They believe in their organizational pitching depth, which is why they felt comfortable doing that.
But it's often the case that teams benefit from a veteran starter who prevents any younger pitchers from having to overdo it from a workload perspective.
Bassitt, Giolito and Martinez would certainly all fit that bill.
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