This winter’s free-agent market is flush with the commodity the Pirates need most: starting pitching.
When the quiet period ends at midnight tonight and players are free to sign with any team, a few dozen quality starters will become available. The Pirates also have decisions to make regarding five of their eight free agents.
Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton are all under contract in 2016 and will be in the rotation. Jeff Locke is eligible for arbitration for the first time, but his inconsistency and 4.49 ERA in 2015 could make him a non-tender candidate.
“We feel good about the guys returning,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We would like to add to that. We also feel good about the guys that we feel will help us at some point next season and beyond.”
Injuries have reduced the starting depth. Brandon Cumpton had Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in March, then shoulder surgery in September that will keep him out another 13 to 15 months. Casey Sadler had Tommy John surgery in October, meaning he will miss all of next season, and Nick Kingham had the procedure in May.
Two young prospects, right-handers Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow, could contribute this year, but not by opening day. Taillon hasn’t pitched in an affiliated game since 2013; after having Tommy John surgery in April 2014, he was pitching in extended spring training games this year before requiring season-ending hernia surgery. Glasnow reached Class AAA Indianapolis this year, but only made eight starts, and Huntington said Glasnow has some development ahead of him.
Re-signing left-hander J.A. Happ, who joined the team at the trade deadline, would alleviate some of the rotation concerns. Happ, 33, had a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts with the Pirates and struck out 69 batters in 63⅓ innings.
“We’ve had discussions about his interest in coming back,” Huntington said. “We’ve expressed to him that we have interest in having him come back.”
Four aces — Zack Greinke, David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann — will headline the starting-pitching market. Aside from them, teams will have several less-expensive options from which to choose. Marco Estrada raised his profile with a strong second half and good performance in the playoffs with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Pirates can look for established players coming off solid to strong seasons — Wei-Yin Chen, Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, Yovani Gallardo, Brett Anderson, Ian Kennedy — or look for rehabilitation cases, such as Bud Norris, Kyle Kendrick or Trevor Cahill.
Right-hander Doug Fister presents an interesting option. Fister, 31, is a year removed from a 2.41 ERA and has a history of inducing ground balls. Jeff Samardzija’s pedigree puts him in line for a big contract, but he had a disappointing 2015 season.
The Pirates are losing seven free agents in addition to Happ: Relievers Antonio Bastardo, Joakim Soria and Joe Blanton, and utility man Sean Rodriguez (Aramis Ramirez announced his retirement Thursday, A.J. Burnett intends to retire and the Pirates will not bring back Corey Hart). The Detroit News reported mutual interest between the Tigers and Soria; this week, a source said the Pirates had not yet reached out to Soria. Bastardo’s departure leaves the Pirates with only one left-hander, Tony Watson, in the bullpen. Bobby LaFromboise is the only other left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster.
“Really, our free-agent needs are similar across the board,” Huntington said. “We have a very strong core, we have young players that are on the horizon. We just are going to look for ways to supplement that core, whether it’s a starter, whether it’s a reliever or multiple relievers, and then a position player.”
The starting position players are all under contract through at least next season, with first base the only uncertainty. The Pirates have two first basemen, left-handed-hitting Pedro Alvarez and right-handed Michael Morse, under contract. Alvarez is eligible for his final year of arbitration and is the team’s best power hitter, but was the worst defensive first baseman in baseball this past season.
“When you look at the platoon potential and you look at their combined dollar values, for us anyway, depending on [what] Alvarez [gets] in arbitration, there are teams that are paying their first baseman a lot more money than we would be paying those two combined,” Huntington said. “We’ve got a handful of opportunities this year that we’ll take a look at how we allocate our resources and potential projected return for those resources, and is that the right fit for us, and what are other alternatives.”
Huntington declined to comment on whether the Pirates bid on Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, a former teammate of Jung Ho Kang in Korea. Today is the deadline to do so.
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NOTES — The Pirates added minor league shortstop Gift Ngoepe to their 40-man roster Thursday night, protecting him from selection in the Rule 5 draft and keeping him from becoming a minor league free agent. Ngoepe, 25, was born in South Africa. He is an excellent defensive shortstop, but has not provided much offense in his seven-year minor league career. This past season, Ngoepe (pronounced n-GO-pay) reached Class AAA Indianapolis. Between there and Class AA Altoona, he hit .257 with a .333 on-base percentage in 351 plate appearances. Ngoepe would have become a minor league free agent today. The Pirates have four empty spots on their 40-man roster. … The Pirates declined their 2016 club option on right-hander Radhames Liz, making him a free agent. Liz, 32, returned to the majors this past season for the first time since 2009. He made 14 appearances in two stints with the Pirates, all in relief, and had a 4.24 ERA. He struck out 27 batters in 23⅓ innings, but walked 12, and allowed four home runs.
Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrinkPG.
First Published: November 6, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
