Mark Madden: Pirates are making free agency headlines, but is it all for show?

Some offers are meant to be refused.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ reported four-year, $100 million-plus offer to free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, for example.

The Pirates knew Schwarber would get better offers. He ultimately re-upped with Philadelphia: Five years, $150 million. The Phillies dangled more cash and, obviously, a better chance to win.

But the Pirates made the offer. It’s the highest offer made to a free agent in franchise history. That’s what the headlines say. Huzzah!

The Pirates’ offer mysteriously went up after Schwarber signed: It was clarified to be four years, $120 million.

That gave the usual suspects license to crow that it was the same average annual value as Philadelphia’s deal and that the Pirates “weren’t far off.”

But a 20% difference is “far off.” (That’s if you believe the offer was actually that high.)

The Pirates will have to absurdly overpay to get a top free agent. So they won’t.

But the Pirates’ offer to Schwarber was higher than the $78 million they offered Seattle’s Josh Naylor before he re-signed with the Mariners. Except the Pirates never actually made that offer.

But they got the headlines, and that’s what’s important.

Are you seeing a pattern?

The insincerity of the offer to Schwarber will be confirmed when the Pirates don’t spend that money elsewhere.

Another report said the Pirates might trade for Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte. But it was subsequently said that the Pirates are on Marte’s no-trade list, and he quickly confirmed “no trade.”

I won’t believe the Pirates are going to make big moves till they do.

I won’t believe the Pirates are going to spend big money till they do.

I don’t believe the Pirates, period.

It’s all PR hype and misdirection, aided and abetted by media stooges and a group of hardcore fans who want so badly to believe that they’ll be fools for the sake of doing so.

Even if there was the slightest grain of sincerity to the Pirates’ rumored desire to spend more and compete, quality players won’t suddenly want to come to Pittsburgh.

It doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s what they believe.

It’s all just a different grade of horse manure. More fragrant, perhaps, but still crap. The con goes on.

The Pirates’ big offseason addition will wind up being that password guy, and whoever they get for Mitch Keller. Who will likely be just another version of that password guy. (Whenever the Pirates acquire a “ready-for-the-majors Triple-A player,” I immediately think, “His prior employer didn’t think so.”)

The Penguins were also involved in an offer designed to be refused.

Edmonton is interested in goaltender Tristan Jarry, who is on a bit of a heater.

But the Oilers are cap-strapped and Jarry makes $5.375 annually on a contract that runs through 2028. The deal appears dead because the Penguins won’t retain any of Jarry’s salary.

But the deal is more likely dead — for the time being — because the Penguins are in a battle for a playoff spot. Trading Jarry would make the dressing room implode. Sidney Crosby wouldn’t be happy.

So president of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas found a way to make the Oilers refuse, but keep the possibility open for a later date.

Sergei Murashov will be the Penguins’ No. 1 goalie no later than the middle of next season. The Penguins would like to dump Jarry’s contract. But right now, they can’t.

The Penguins’ unexpected contention keeps Dubas from doing things he’d prefer. But that only lasts as long as the Penguins contend.

The Penguins, so far, have played as well as could possibly be expected. But are still just one point safe in a playoff berth.

Jarry is an odd study.

Jarry has talent and has made two of the NHL’s midseason All-Star showcases. But he’s horrifically inconsistent, lacks focus and has never won a playoff series.

Yet the dressing room has way more faith in Jarry than it should.

The Pirates’ offer to Schwarber is reminiscent of the scene in “Semi-Pro,” Will Ferrell’s basketball movie, when making a half-court shot wins a fan $10,000. Except there is no $10,000.

Imagine if Schwarber had double-crossed the Pirates and accepted their deal. Schwarber would get paid with a big check he couldn’t cash. Or perhaps in corn dogs. Maybe he’d be so hopped up on goofballs and grass he wouldn’t know what’s going on. Second half coming up next!