After another lackluster offseason, The Pittsburgh Pirates are set for a disappointing season. The Pirates have been mediocre at best for almost ten years. Their ownership group has shown no commitment to bringing winning baseball back to a storied baseball city.
Pittsburgh’s ownership and management continue shooting themselves in the foot. The Pirates had assets upon which to build. This offseason provided them ample opportunities to sign impact hitters and back of the rotation starting pitching to build, at least, a serviceable lineup and get some needed depth to go with their elite top of the rotation.
However, the Pirates basically stayed stagnent, doing what they have done for almost ten years. Since 2016, the Pirates have not signed a free agent to a multi-year contract. That streak is, by far, the longest in baseball. Every other MLB team has given a player such a deal since 2022 or later.
The one year deals were nothing special, to say the least. They signed Tommy Pham, DJ Stewart, Adam Frazier and Andrew Heaney. None of these players will change the team in a meaningful way. None of the four signees eclipsed 1 WAR last year.
The organization seemed to be moving in the right direction after a promising 2023 season. However, the Pirates did not make any key moves after 2023, leading the team to have a very similar year in 2024.
The Pirates’ standout player and star is, of course, the incredible Paul Skenes. His name may ring a bell because of Skenes’ famous, talented girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, but Skenes, with his incredible pitching ability, is much more than half of America’s young “it couple.”
Skenes, the first pick of the 2023 draft, has dominated at every level. He made a name for himself in college, racking up strikeouts, first with Air Force, then with LSU. Skenes had 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings in his final college year. Skenes forced the Pirates organization to call him up to the big leagues with tremendous minor league performances. Before he jumped to the majors, Skenes had an earned run average below one in seven minor league starts.
Skenes didn’t need an adjustment period. From his first outing in the majors, the right hander continued to do what he has done throughout his career. Skenes was even better than expected. Following his call up, Skenes led the league in ERA, was third in strikeouts and was around the top of every other major category.
A Skenes start is the most must see event in baseball right now. Skenes’ 100+ mile per hour fastball, with hard to fathom movement, would be enough to attract fans, but he combines it with an elite sinker and sweeper. Skenes’ sinker was one of the best pitches in baseball last year. A scary notion for hitters is that the pitch was just something he tinkered with and began throwing at the start of the season. Skenes will just keep editing and working with his elite stuff and, although it is hard to imagine, he will get more and more dominant.
The 22 year old is coming off a Rookie of the Year award. He now has his sights set on a Cy Young. The award should be heading his way if he stays healthy throughout the season. But Skenes has his eyes set on more than individual accolades this year. In a recent interview, he discussed how much he wants to make the playoffs, saying, “I think we owe something to the city. We owe a lot to the city. It’s our job to go out and win for the city because this is bigger than all of us.” Skenes clearly has a great head on his shoulders and the right mentality to have a long, prosperous career.
Somehow, the Pirates organization is finding a way to mess up the absolute gem that fell into their laps. The Pirates have not even approached Skenes about a contract extension despite Skenes saying he is interested in one. The longer the Pirates wait, the more Skenes will cost in the long run. Yes, the Pirates do not have to pay Skenes now. He won’t even hit arbitration for another two years. But, it is clear that Skenes’ price will only increase. Not even having contract talks is a classic case of the Pirates management’s incompetence.
Skenes is, of course, the main bright spot of the team, but there are other exciting pieces on an otherwise pretty lackluster Pirates roster. Oneil Cruz is the most exciting hitter in the lineup. He has the tools to be a superstar. Cruz hits and throws the ball harder than anyone else in the league. His 6’7”, 240 build makes him a unique, fun player to watch.
Bryan Reynolds, Nick Gonzales and Ke’Bryan Hayes all have the ability to be above average hitters. They will need to be if this team hopes to be in playoff contention.
Mitch Keller has turned himself into a trustworthy starter but the team does not have much rotation depth behind him and Skenes. The young, talented Jared Jones showed a lot that excited fans as fans quickly pictured years of Skenes and Jones at the top of the Pirates rotation. Jones unfortunately got hurt late in Spring Training. It is unclear when he will return.
Bubba Chandler is another Pirates top pitching prospect. He dominated in Triple-A. Expect him to join the rotation in the near future.
The Pirates have won 76 games both of the last two seasons. That is around where they are projected this year. After another failed off season, it is hard to see this team being competitive, even if they get elite production from their core players.
