Veteran Free Agent Help - Shortstops

Yesterday I touched on Starting Pitchers the Pirates could seek to bolster their staff and hopefully mentor their young starters. Today I'll focus on shortstops.

The Pirates still have Ronny Cedeno for another year as he will be in his final abritration year, should they choose to tender him. Bobby Crosby will be a free agent. The internal options at AAA are pretty slim as Argenis Diaz is the only real candidate there.

Shortstop

Bobby Crosby - Pittsburgh Pirates - 2011 Age: 31

Would this be the easy way out? Sure. But looking at the crop of shortstops set to be free agents next year, there really isn't anyone that stands out that the Pirates should definately consider.

Lately, Crosby has been starting and has been a slight upgrade over Cedeno. Should the Pirates choose not to tender Cedeno or send him off in a trade, I would hope that they keep Crosby. However, given what will be on the market (for now), Crosby could be had.

Juan Uribe - San Francisco Giants - 2011 Age: 31

Juan Uribe is a guy who can do it all. He can play SS, 2B, and 3B. He's even played a game in CF. The Pirates went this route when they signed Bobby Crosby this past offseason.

Uribe saw his batting average and OPS+ creep up when he moved from the White Sox to the Giants. His batting average went from .251 to .280 and his OPS+ went from 85 to 111. Staying in the National could be a benefit to Uribe offensively.

Defensively though, Uribe is a bit of a question mark. Since maxing out in 2007 with a 9.7 UZR at SS, Uribe has decline every year, sporting a -2.8 last year. Uribe's value will certainly be at 2B or 3B.

Signing a guy like Uribe would only make sense if Neil Walker doesn't cut it the rest of the year. Uribe really doesn't make much sense defensively at SS, but if the Pirates are desperate they could go that route. The other issue is money. Uribe is making $3.25 million this year and would certainly get more next year with an extremely weak 2B class. Uribe is certain to get a pay raise and a shot to start at 2B for a team. Money aside, signing Uribe does not seem to be much of an option for the Pirates as they have a few options at 2B and he would not be much of an upgrade at SS defensively.

Derek Jeter - New York Yankees - 2011 Age: 37

Just kidding...

Adam Everett - Detroit Tigers - 2011 Age: 34

Most Pirate fans are familiar with Everett because he was compared to Jack Wilson for so long. Everett is a glove first shortstop as he pretty much has no bat whatsoever. He is a career .243 hitter and has hit above .260 just once in his career.

Since Everett is a defense first player he hasn't gotten much time in Detroit and has actually seen a decline in his defensive stats. Last year was a terrible year for him as he had a career worst fielding percentage and the most errors in a season where he has played in more than 45 games.

Everett does not seem to be on much of an upswing, however a move back to the NL and it's weaker pitching could always help. However, the Pirates should only go the Everett route if Diaz is not an option or they trade for a young shortstop that will put up numbers to counteract his poor offensive stats. The Pirates aren't depending on their shortstop to win, but a guy that can hit better than .260 would be preferred. Out of all the candidates listed, I think Everett has the best chance of wearing a Pirates uniform.

Looking over the list of shortstop option, it seems like the Pirates best bet would be to see what they can get in a trade. Perhaps a contender looking for relief help could offer a younger shortstop at the trade deadline or in the offseason. The Pirates shortstop prospects are few and far between, so they should definately consider this route.