Pirates GM Ben Cherington emphasizes competition for starting spots in middle infield

By trading Kevin Newman to the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington paved a path for Oneil Cruz to become the everyday starting shortstop and reshape the middle infield.

While Cherington said the move was made in part to give Cruz opportunity, he stopped short of ordaining him the starter. Cherington even added a surprise by saying the Pirates could acquire another middle infielder, if it helps improve their offensive output.

“I think we want to create competition there certainly, whether it’s guys that are already here. Wouldn’t rule out adding an infielder, either,” Cherington said. “I would emphasize the competition, but there will be a runway to be part of that competition and continue to earn it. He’s a really talented player, obviously, and is working hard at his game. We want to give him a chance to continue to improve and, in some cases of the young players, they have to have a chance to play a lot to do that.”

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Cruz finished sixth in voting for National League rookie of the year after slashing .233/.294/.450 with 13 doubles, 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 87 games. He also committed 17 errors at shortstop, and improving his defense is an offseason priority.

Newman, a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop in 2021, split his starts between shortstop and second base but is expected to return to his natural position with the NL Central rival Reds. Cherington said the Pirates never considered non-tendering Newman, who is projected to make $2.8 million in his second year of arbitration, but had been in trade talks with the Reds prior to Friday’s 8 p.m. deadline to tender guaranteed contracts and sealed the deal soon after.

Of the 10 players who started games at second base last season, the Pirates return five on the 40-man roster — and all of them can play other positions. Rodolfo Castro is the frontrunner, although he can also play shortstop and third base. Tucupita Marcano has played left field, Diego Castillo shortstop, third base, first base and right field and Ji Hwan Bae shortstop and center field.

The Pirates also have a trio of top-five prospects in the middle infield, including a pair of first-round picks under Cherington. Nick Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in 2020, played second base last season at Double-A Altoona and is ranked their No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline. His double-play partner at shortstop, Liover Peguero, is ranked No. 4. Termarr Johnson, the No. 4 overall pick last July, was drafted as a shortstop but is projected to play second base.

“We have some depth at that position,” Cherington said. “As we looked at our needs this offseason and how to strengthen the team for 2023 and beyond, we felt it was possible that we were at a time when considering a trade with Kevin might make sense and potentially for him as well.”

The return for Newman is reliever Dauri Moreta, a 26-year-old right-hander who was 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, allowing 10 home runs while striking out 39 and walking 13 in 38 1/3 innings over 35 appearances last season. After being demoted to Triple-A Louisville, Moreta returned in late August and had a 2.25 ERA and .154 batting-average against in his final five appearances.

With plenty of sinkerballers on their pitching staff, the Pirates are prioritizing the addition of relievers with swing-and-miss ability. Moreta, who averaged 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, had a 48.9% whiff rate on his slider and 26% on his four-seam fastball. Cherington called Moreta a “talented kid” with a pair of “plus” pitches.

“This is a young pitcher who we feel kind of at that point where he’s gotten a taste of the big leagues, he’s been successful in the minor leagues, he’s had some success in the major leagues,” Cherington said. “Another in a group of pitchers we have who we believe, we hope are on kind of on that verge of taking that one more step to becoming more regular established major league pitchers.”