It feels too good to be true

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ situation at first base is dire to say the least. The 2024 platoon of Connor Joe and Rowdy Tellez – which wasn’t particularly impressive to begin with – has since been broken up, with the former non-tendered last month and the latter controversially released in the final days of the 2024 season.

That leaves rookie utility player Billy Cook, who has only 49 career major league plate appearances and has more experience as an outfielder than as a first baseman. You might think that a team with real postseason aspirations might aim a little higher.

This is not a new problem either. According to FanGraphs, the Pirates have ranked last in first base production since 2020. Could this finally be the year they actually work in free agency to find a first baseman who can also swing the bat?

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller seems to think so. In his ranking of the top 10 landing spots for free agent first baseman Christian Walker, Miller ranks Pittsburgh at No. 4. That’s pretty significant considering MLB Trade Rumors expects Walker to make $20 million per year on his next contract, which would make him the highest-paid player (by a wide margin) on the Pirates’ roster for the year 2025.

It feels too good to be true

Walker has been a reliable, hard-hitting first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the past three seasons, with 95 home runs and 281 RBI since 2022. Last season, he hit 26 home runs, drove in 84 runs and batted .251/. 335/.468. Plus, he’s only two years away from posting a career-best 36-homer season in 2022.

Walker is also exceptionally reliable as a defensive first baseman. He has won three Gold Glove Awards in a row and last season led all National League players at the position by a wide margin with 13 outs above average.

There’s no denying that Walker is a good fit for Pittsburgh, but his projected price tag makes this potential signing sound too good to be true. MLBTR is projecting a three-year deal for Walker, due in large part to his age; he will turn 34 during spring training in 2025. The largest contract the Pirates have ever given to a free agent is for three years, $39 million to Francisco Liriano in 2014; A three-year, $60 million deal for Walker would negate that.

It’s unlikely at best that Pittsburgh would spend that much money to sign a free agent. But, in the words of rapper YG: You can’t make money because you’re afraid of money. If the Pirates really want to see Paul Skenes on the field in October, they need to invest financially in the team around him to make that happen.

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