OF Guillermo Heredia might be welcome addition to Pirates

In a three-day span at the MLB winter meetings last month, teams spent a combined $814 million on three free agents: Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ largest expenditure on the free-agent market so far this offseason is the $1 million, one-year they gave outfielder Guillermo Heredia on Jan. 9.

New general manager Ben Cherington has taken his share of criticism on social media for move, especially considering Heredia had just a .225 batting average in 89 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

However, a deeper look at Heredia indicates it could be a solid signing for the Pirates, keeping in mind manager Derek Shelton plans to use Heredia as the fourth outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench.

In 382 games over four seasons with the Seattle Mariners (2016-18) and Rays (2019), the Cuban native has hit .240/.317/.342 with 17 home runs.

What those numbers don’t reveal, though, is that Heredia has had success against left-handed pitching. He has a .274/.335/.401 line with 10 home runs in 487 career plate appearances.

That could make him valuable as a platoon partner with left-handed hitting Gregory Polanco in right field. Against lefties, Polanco has hit a measly .219/.283/.355 with 15 homers in 616 career trips to the plate.

Advanced defensive metrics suggest Heredia is better suited to play the outfield corners than center field. He has nine career defensive runs saved in left field and three in right field but minus-13 in center field.

But scouts believe Heredia plays a passable center field and would useable when Starling Marte needs a day off. Of course, Marte could be traded before the season starts, and it might be a stretch to think Heredia could take his place on a full-time basis.

Heredia also gets high marks for his intangibles. He has an upbeat attitude and was one of the most popular figures in the Rays clubhouse last season when they won 97 games and the first American League wild card.

Personality tends to get devalued amidst the analytics that dominate today’s game.

However, the clubhouse wasn’t a very happy place in the second half of last season when the Pirates were on their way to a last-place finish in the National League Central.

There were multiple confrontations involving players and staff members, most notably reliever Kyle Crick suffering a finger injury in clubhouse fight with closer Felipe Vazquez in September.

A smiling face would seem most welcome.