With Oneil Cruz out for most likely the season what do the Pirates do at shortstop? Today we breakdown all the options of what they could do and what makes the most logical sense. 

Option 1

Stick with a platoon of Ji Hwan Bae and Rodolfo Castro. Currently, Castro and Bae have been splitting time starting between second base and shortstop since Cruz injury and it has gone fairly well to this point. Castro is slashing a .292 average and OPS of .892, 2 RBIs, and his 1st home run last night vs the Cardinals. Bae on the other hand, is hitting a. 231 average, a .722 OPS, 6RBIs, and 2 home runs including a clutch walk off vs the Astros on Tuesday. Both have been good enough offensively, but defensively has been the flagged issue. If Derek Shelton is okay with letting them develop their game in the big leagues, then this is their move. 

Option 2

Wait for Nick Gonzales. Yes, I know Nick Gonzales primarily plays second base, but he has been getting a ton of work at shortstop recently with AAA Indianapolis. After his stellar spring with the big league bucs, many fans were calling for him to make the team over guys like Bae and Castro. For development purposes, I understand where they are coming from. So, does it make sense for the Pirates to wait for Gonzales to dominate AAA then bring him up, or do you let him soak in a full year? That’s for time to tell, and up to how they want to utilize his service time. It’s an option Pirates fans wan,t but I don’t see it realistically happening. 

Option 3

Trade for a shortstop. There’s one name I keep seeing in trade rumors to the Pirates; Isiah Kiner-Falefa. IKF was a huge offensive piece for many years with the Texas Rangers, before being shipped to the New York Yankees in the spring of 2022. IKF hasn’t ideally fit into the plans of the Yankees, and fans are calling for his removal from the team. He hit .261 last year with 48RBIs which is not terrible. Yes, this year he is only hitting .105 and an OPS of .210, hence New York’s frustrations. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing IKF come to the Pirates on a low value trade, maybe a guy like Pitcher Omar Cruz who is currently not on any affiliated active roster. 

So what do you guys think should the Pirates stand pat and wait or bring in another veteran influence. Let me know in the comments.