Pittsburgh Pirates

Already blessed with a future that looks plenty bright, there's a chance the Pittsburgh Pirates' future will look even brighter before long. It depends on what will become of their newest acquisition.

If you're just now joining us, that's Jung-ho Kang. 

After a relatively quiet start to the offseason, general manager Neal Huntington and the Pittsburgh Pirates have added a few key pieces to the team's roster that could help lead them back to the postseason for the third straight year.  

While the signings of starting pitchers Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett were much needed insurance for the Pirates' rotation, there are still doubts about the back end of the rotation.    

Ever since the departure of former shortstop Jack Wilson, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been searching for an everyday player who could potentially become their franchise shortstop.  

Wilson had a successful career in Pittsburgh, serving primarily as the Pirates' everyday shortstop from 2001-2009.  In 1,159 career games with the Pirates, Wilson batted .269 with 60 home runs, or roughly 10 home runs per season.  

On Monday we learned the Pittsburgh Pirates have won negotiating rights to Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed up to take a chance on a 27-year-old shortstop who hit 40 home runs last season.

Yeah, you'll have to trust me that there is some chance involved with a player like that. Actually, "risk" might be the better word, as the shortstop in question is no sure thing.

We can say this, though: The Pirates are just the team to roll the dice on him.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are keeping the gang together.

Francisco Liriano declined the Pittsburgh Pirates' initial qualifying offer but was able to negotiate and secure a long-term deal to remain with the club on Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten key contributions from a variety of young players over the last two seasons, making it to the playoffs both years.  

While these players have had solid seasons, they have not nearly reached their potential.  In 2015, however, that could be a different story. 

Let's take a look at three players who could have breakout seasons next year for the Pirates.  

The Pittsburgh Pirates currently are in a situation that a lot of teams would like to be in: They have a surplus of reliable and productive outfielders.  

The most well-known outfielder on Pittsburgh's depth chart is obviously 2013 National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen, who has become the face of the franchise in his six-year career.  

The Pittsburgh Pirates currently are not a complete team.  

The team lacks starting pitching, as two of its top starters from last year (Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez) are both currently on the free-agent market seeking deals.