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Pirates in the Market for Right-Hitting Outfielder

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Randal Grichuk

As the rumor mill churns, the latest has the Pittsburgh Pirates interested in veteran free-agent outfielder Randal Grichuk. MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand was the first to break this news. It’s unclear whether Grichuk would slide into a role as Pittsburgh’s regular right fielder. He was used in a platoon role last season.

Reports had circulated that Pirates general manager Ben Cherington would look to the trade market rather than free agency to improve the team. However, with no action on the trade front other than last month’s trade for Spencer Horwitz, it seems Cherington is now pivoting to the free-agent market to fill the team’s clear need for outfielders. Yesterday, their interest in Alex Verdugo became known.

Randal Grichuk on Pirates’ Radar

Grichuk, 33, has played for the St. Louis Cardinals (2014-17), Toronto Blue Jays (2018-21), Colorado Rockies (2022-23), Los Angeles Angels (2023), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2024). He began as part of a touted young Cardinals outfield trio that included Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty. By 2018, the Cards had moved on from all three. For his career, Grichuk has hit .252/.300/.469, 203 home runs, 602 RBI, and 104 OPS+. In 106 games with Arizona last year, the right-handed batter hit .291/.348/.528, 12 home runs, 46 RBI, and 140 OPS+.

He plays all three outfield positions. He’s been worth four Fielding Runs Above Average during his career while committing just 22 errors.

Why Signing Grichuk Makes Sense

Whether Grichuk is a good fit as an outfielder for the upcoming season depends on how he’s used. Every figure in Grichuk’s 2024 slash line would have led the Pirates. However, that was largely accomplished against left-handed pitching. He hit left-handers to the tune of .319/.386/.528. Against right-handers, he was able to produce just .242/.274/.528. He would fit in a platoon role with a left-handed-hitting right fielder or perhaps as a fourth outfielder.

The more optimistic view suggests he may fill the bill as the power hitter the Pirates so desperately need. Grichuk has hit at least 22 home runs five times in his major league career, with the high being 31 in 2019. As noted here many times, Cherington served as Toronto’s vice president of baseball operations from 2016-19. He’s shown a preference for players he knew during his time there. Grichuk fits that description. Perhaps Cherington thinks Matt Hague, his new hitting coach who had also been with the Jays, can unlock whatever it was Grichuk was doing right in 2019.

Why It Doesn’t

Grichuk is far removed from that 31-home run season. Since hitting 22 homers in 2021, his home run totals have declined. From 2021-23, he’s hit just .255/.299/.434. It’s highly possible that he’s a player in decline and 2024 was an aberration. In Arizona, he played for a shrewd manager in Torey Lovullo, a master at picking spots for players where they might succeed. Pirates manager Derek Shelton has yet to display a similar tendency in his skill set. His batting orders change daily based on analytics. But at the same time, this is a manager who batted the slumping right-handed batter Connor Joe in the fourth spot against Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante on September 16.

Grichuk or Verdugo?

While Grichuk or Verdugo – or a platoon of the two – would be better than any outfielder who saw significant playing time there for the Pirates last year except for Bryan Reynolds, they likely wouldn’t move the needle much, either. Cherington needs to shoot higher than that. The Pirates have a short window while their rotation includes Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, and Bubba Chandler. Will he take advantage of that window, or will it be slammed on Pirates fans’ fingers?

Main Photo: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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