The Pirates’ season has come to a close, with the same final record as 2023, 76-86. Even though they did not improve record wise, the team improved greatly.
Last year, the Pirates drafted pitcher Paul Skenes first overall to help with their pitching. This was an interesting pick since there is so much pitching talent knocking on the door to the MLB, but the pick seems to have been the right choice.
Skenes started the season in the minors but he got promoted to the majors in no time. The 22-year-old finished his season with a 1.96 ERA and is the top contender for NL Rookie of the Year. He is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.
The Pirates also made some key trades this year. In past years, they have traded MLB players for prospects, but this year they traded prospects for two players that have made an impact on the team: Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Bryan De La Cruz. Kiner-Falefa was an unexpected move but he is now the starting shortstop and Oneil Cruz has moved to center field, replacing Michael A. Taylor.
De La Cruz was a good pickup and was an improvement from outfielders like Jack Suwinski and Joshua Palacios. However, De La Cruz played over 50 more games with the Marlins, and his numbers looked so much better there than they did during his time in Pittsburgh. He hit .245 with 18 home runs with the Marlins, but after getting traded, he hit .200 with three home runs. Even though De La Cruz’ numbers were not great with the Pirates, he will most likely get the starting job in right field and the Pirates will hope for better numbers.
At the end of the season, the Pirates made a very questionable move, releasing Rowdy Tellez. First base is the weakest spot for the Pirates and they have not had a standout first baseman since they traded Josh Bell in 2020. Tellez did not have a good start to the season but picked it up and ended the season as an average first baseman. He looked to be the team’s starting first baseman for next season, but Ben Cherrington disagreed.
The best thing the Pirates should do is sign a player out of free agency at first base like Anthony Rizzo or Paul Goldschmidt. But if that does not happen, they will have to settle with Connor Joe or Endy Rodriguez.
Overall, even though the Pirates record stayed the same, the Pirates improved as the season went on. If the Pirates play their cards right during the offseason, they should be playoff contenders next year.
