Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Unsatisfying season has Pirates looking for ways to get better faster

Even before the Pittsburgh Pirates played their finale Sunday, Ben Cherington was asked to point out the highlights and lowlights of a season that fell far short of expectations.

Given that they already had clinched their sixth consecutive losing season, the Pirates general manager was reluctant to put too positive of a spin on what would be a 76-86 finish for the second year in a row.

“Certainly, when you finish the season not in the postseason, you want to be careful in talking about highlights because there’s clearly a lot of things to get better at,” Cherington said during his weekly radio show on 93.7 FM, “and that’s where most of our focus is.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton took a different approach, pointing out that their “starting pitching floor and ceiling is considerably higher” than at any point in his five-year tenure, the relatively smooth conversion by Oneil Cruz to playing center field and Bryan Reynolds finishing fifth in the National League with 171 hits as signs of progress.

Ultimately, Shelton came to the same conclusion as Cherington: “We have to continue to find ways to get better.”

Here’s the problem: Aside from rookie right-handers Paul Skenes and Jared Jones establishing themselves as top-of-the rotation starters, are the Pirates positioned to be any better next season?

While Cherington called it the “deepest” group of position players the Pirates have had in the majors and upper levels of the minors under his leadership, he acknowledged the need to get better.

And with good reason.

Their two best position players could be playing new positions if Reynolds moves from left field to first base. Their best defender, Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, is dealing with chronic back issues that caused him to miss the final six weeks of the season. Even Nick Gonzales isn’t a lock to start at second base, if only because he might be needed to play shortstop now that Cruz is in the outfield.

No wonder Cherington talked about the need to get better faster.

“You need talent. You need talent at different positions. You can’t have holes,” Cherington said. “The 162-game season will tell you what you are.”

And it told the Pirates that what they are isn’t good enough.

“Ultimately,” Cherington said, “that’s on me.”

1. For starters: Cherington touted the emergence of talent and depth in the starting rotation in the majors and minors and said Skenes, Jones and Mitch Keller “clearly look like the nucleus of a very good major league rotation.”

Beyond that, righty Luis Ortiz and lefty Bailey Falter established themselves as major league starters. Former top-10 prospect Mike Burrows returned from Tommy John surgery to make his major league debut Saturday. Johan Oviedo, who tied for the team lead with 32 starts last year, is on track to return from Tommy John surgery in time to be ready for spring training.

And the Pirates have talented arms in the minor leagues in right-handers Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington at Triple-A Indianapolis and lefties Hunter Barco and Anthony Solometo at Double-A Altoona.

“There are guys in our major league rotation who have done really good things and have earned an opportunity to have maybe a front seat toward the rotation in 2025,” Cherington said. “I expect we’re going to have challenges. I expect we’re going to have guys that pound on that door as we go into 2025.”

2. No relief: The bullpen was, without question, the biggest disappointment for the Pirates. Their penchant for blowing late leads and losing close games was brutal.

They lost righty fireman Dauri Moreta to Tommy John surgery, lefty Ryan Borucki for the majority of the season to a nerve issue, and two-time All-Star David Bednar lost his closer role. Aroldis Chapman lit up radar guns but sometimes struggled to find the strike zone.

“It was an area that we felt could be a real strength coming into the season, and it probably hasn’t been as consistently as we needed it to,” Cherington said. “When you think about what are the things that would have had to have gone well to get into the bullpen, probably a good bullpen was one of them, and we probably didn’t quite get there.”

The Pirates also found a waiver wire gem in Dennis Santana and saw rookies Carmen Mlodzinski and Kyle Nicolas develop into reliable leverage relievers. They have to hope that Bednar and setup man Colin Holderman can return to form next season and that additions from the pool of starters or free agents can help.

“You can circle some names now who are going to be here next year,” Cherington said. “There’s a nucleus of a really strong bullpen. It’s also the part of the team, historically speaking, (that) is the most possible to make real improvement in smaller amounts of time. That doesn’t mean it just happens by snapping your fingers or wishing it, but history tells us that if there’s one part of the team that has the best chance to make the biggest gain in one offseason, it’s typically going to be your bullpen.”

3. In the corners: Now that Cruz has accepted the move to the outfield, the Pirates have to decide what to do at first base.

The position has been a revolving door since All-Star Josh Bell was traded in December 2020, so the idea of moving Reynolds there makes sense. He will be 30 in January, doesn’t cover ground in left as well as he once did and is their most consistent hitter.

Reynolds is open to the idea.

“It’s doable,” Reynolds said, using Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper as an example. “Yeah, I mean, Harper did it successfully. I’m not saying that I’m Harper, but it can be done, moving from outfield to infield. So it’s something I’ll work on. If that’s what’s going to help us, I’ll do that. If being in the outfield is better, then I’ll do that, too.”

Meantime, Reynolds was doing ground ball work with Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and infield coach Mendy Lopez over the final few weeks to get acclimated to a position he hasn’t played since his senior year of high school. Former Pirate Neil Walker even let Reynolds borrow his first baseman’s mitt.

“I feel good out there so far,” Reynolds said. “Granted, I haven’t had any real balls hit at me. Just off the fungo I feel good. I’ll keep working at it in the offseason, see what spring training looks like.”

If Reynolds makes the move, the Pirates might have solved a corner infield spot with a power bat. But it also would create the need to add some pop to a corner outfield spot.

Now that Hayes has visited a spine specialist for ways to deal with his bothersome back, the Pirates are banking that he can return to form. They bet big on Hayes by signing him to a then-franchise record $70 million contract in 2022, a deal that his defense alone made a bargain when healthy.

But Hayes, who turns 28 in January, followed a team MVP season by hitting .233/.283/.290 with nine doubles, four home runs and 25 RBIs in 96 games. Those are unacceptable numbers for a third baseman, especially one making $7 million on a team with an $86.4 million Opening Day payroll.

4. Dishing it out: Cherington praised catcher Joey Bart, acquired out of desperation in April with Yasmani Grandal and Jason Delay on the injured list, for making a powerful impact on the Pirates.

“Joey Bart has certainly earned that front seat at the table going forward,” Cherington said. “He’s proven that he can be a very productive major league hitter. We believe the defense is good enough already with a chance to be even better as a defender.”

What does that mean for Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez, who is returning from Tommy John surgery?

Cherington called them “extremely talented guys who we think both have the upside to be everyday catchers in the big leagues,” but they appear destined for backup roles next season.

Unless the Pirates decide to get creative.

For one, Andrew McCutchen outperformed his one-year, $5 million contract by hitting 21 home runs and tying Reynolds for the team lead with 58 walks.

But can the Pirates afford to have a designated hitter who bats .232, had only 50 RBIs in 120 games and has a balky left knee that doesn’t allow him to run the bases like he once did?

If McCutchen returns — and there’s no question he should — the Pirates might consider giving him more regular rest, rotating others in at DH and using him in more pinch-hit situations.

5. Trader Ben: Cherington dropped a major hint about the way the Pirates plan to get better, in addition to their draft-and-develop strategy coupled with international signings.

“The way we do that in Pittsburgh is going to be different,” Cherington said. “A team like the Pirates, we’re going to have to add more talent, not just through the draft and international and player development but also through trades. We’re going to rely less on free agency than most teams. And that means we’ve got to make up those wins in other ways.”

Cherington noted that the three places where the Pirates have the most depth are starting pitchers, middle infielders and catchers, which means some of those players could be trade chips.

It also means the Pirates are unlikely to pursue the big-name free agents fans want, such as first baseman Christian Walker or outfielder Cody Bellinger, because of the cost involved.

But Cherington sounded like someone ready to shake up the roster.

“We need to find a way to get better faster. That’s our entire focus, and it starts with me,” Cherington said. “I’ve got to do my job better this offseason to find more wins to add to the team.”