MLB Rumors: Pirates eyeing outfield upgrades with former Blue Jays star in sight

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a lot of young talented players and were briefly in the NL Wild Card discussion last year. The future is bright, but they need to focus on the present to field a competitive team that can begin moving towards that future.

That may begin in the outfield. The latest report is that the team is looking for players to add to the outfield where Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz currently reside.

Per the reporting from Mark Feinsand, Pittsburgh is currently honed in on two veterans for left field: Randal Grichuk and Alex Verdugo. Both have spent time in the AL East.

Feinsand reported:

"The Pirates are in the market for outfield help, with Randal Grichuk surfacing as the latest name under consideration, per sources. Pittsburgh also has interest in Alex Verdugo, a source confirmed."

Grichuk was a longtime Toronto Blue Jays star and recently played with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Verdugo spent a lot of time with the Boston Red Sox but played with the New York Yankees last season.

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Where Randal Grichuk or Alex Verdugo would fit in current Pirates lineup

This is what the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup could look like:

1. Nick Gonzales, 2B
2. Andrew McCutchen, DH
3. Oneil Cruz, CF
4. Joey Bart, C
5. Bryan Reynolds, LF
6. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
7. Joshua Palacios, RF
8. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS

Either Randal Grichuk or Alex Verdugo would likely slot in right field for Palacios. They could also move to left field to take the place of Bryan Reynolds. Alternatively, the Pirates could use them in platoon settings.

The Pirates have an interest in Alex Verdugo (Imagn)

They could also use Verdugo/Grichuk, Palacios, Reynolds, Yorke and Cruz to find days off or give players a DH day to provide rest. If Grichuk or Verdugo is signed, they will likely bat in the bottom third of the lineup.

Verdugo is coming off a disappointing 83 wRC+ season with the Yankees. Grichuk hit .291 in over 100 games for the Diamondbacks, so he could be in the middle or near the top, depending on what else the Pirates do in free agency this offseason.