JUST IN: Pirates get jealous of Reds’ massive roster move for 2 notable reasons. For that Pirates make a tough agreement with Reds

One of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ NL Central rivals made headlines Monday when the Cincinnati Reds reinstated veteran infielder Jeimer Candelario from the 10-day injured list—only to designate him for assignment shortly after.

The Reds had inked Candelario to a three-year, $45 million contract ahead of the 2024 season. Aside from hitting 20 home runs last year, the deal has turned out to be a major flop. Injuries have limited Candelario to just 22 games in 2025, during which he’s slashed a dismal .113/.198/.213.

While signing a player with numbers that poor might sound like something Pirates GM Ben Cherington would do, the situation in Cincinnati actually underscores a couple of reasons why Pirates fans might envy their divisional rival.

Why Pirates fans might envy the Reds’ Candelario decision

First, the Pirates never would have spent that kind of money in the first place. Even though the Reds’ $45 million gamble backfired, they were at least willing to invest in a player they believed could help them contend. That amount is $6 million more than the largest free agent deal in Pirates history—Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39 million contract back in 2015.

Since Cherington took over in 2020, Pittsburgh hasn’t signed a single free agent to a deal longer than one year, choosing instead to focus on drafting and developing talent. Given that the team hasn’t finished above third place in the division since 2016, that strategy’s results speak for themselves.

And hypothetically, even if the Pirates did spend big on a multi-year free agent and he underperformed like Candelario, it’s unlikely they’d cut ties. Rather than acknowledging a mistake, the front office would likely let that player weigh down the roster for the length of his contract—reluctant to eat money they were hesitant to spend in the first place.

So yes, it may seem bizarre for Pirates fans to feel envy toward a team that just DFA’d a $45 million player hitting barely above .100. But moves like that—decisive, even if costly—are part of why the Reds, and the rest of the NL Central, tend to stay out of the basement the Pirates can’t seem to escape.