The Pittsburgh Pirates, at some point, will have to decide whether they're building a real ballclub around Paul Skenes.
The NL Cy Young winner finished with a.500 record in 2025 because the rest of the Pirates simply aren't good enough to compete.
They have a chance to change that in free agency, though, and apparently, they're preparing to take a big swing.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote that the Pirates are pursuing Kyle Schwarber.
Yes, that Kyle Schwarber, the one who just hit 56 home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies and hit a total of 187 HRs in his four seasons with the Phillies before entering free agency.
This is the line Passan wrote:
"Of course, when you hit like Schwarber, neither age nor position matters. Teams have made that abundantly clear, all the way from the obvious suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies are fiending to re-sign him) and the not-so-obvious (yes, Pittsburgh is in on Schwarber as well)."
Passan lays out a handful of other interested teams. The Pirates would definitely have to win a bidding war to get this done.
But the fact that they're involved at all says something.
The Pirates have also been saying the right things this offseason about being interested in raising the payroll, at least some.
They'll never be confused for the Dodgers or the Mets. But the Pirates have the best pitcher in the league on their staff. He deserves some more run support.
More MLB news:
- Mariners' Jorge Polanco free agent plans encounter a road block
- Pirates' infielder leaving MLB to play in Japan
- Red Sox 'still kicking themselves' for 187-HR mistake