Pittsburgh Pirates Season Preview: New Leadership Facing Difficult Task

Things are going to get worse in Pittsburgh before getting better

Editor's note: Welcome to SI's MLB preview. Click here to view every team's outlook in 2020, including predictions, projections and, yes, a preview of the 2030 preview. Click here to read the Pirates fantasy preview.

The Pirates cut the last ties to their mid-decade success this winter, firing manager Clint Hurdle and GM Neal Huntington and trading the last star that remained from that era, centerfielder Starling Marté, to the Diamondbacks. What’s left, just two years after a winning season, is a team that will finish just a bit above the tanking clubs.

Huntington built three straight NL wild-card teams, but looking back, he never made the big move–the kind recent champs like the Cubs, Astros and Red Sox did–to get over the top. He also traded Gerrit Cole for a limited package and paid the Rays dearly to watch righty Chris Archer fall apart. Now, Cole is the richest pitcher ever with the Yankees, and Tampa Bay has a pair of cornerstones in Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow.

But there is some talent here. First baseman Josh Bell, 27, broke out last year to the tune of 37 homers and a .936 OPS. Outfielder Bryan Reynolds hit .314 as a rookie. Kevin Newman established himself as the everyday shortstop with a .353 OBP and a low strikeout rate. With Marté and Melky Cabrera gone, only two position players on the depth chart are in their 30s. The team will get even younger when Ke’Bryan Hayes, a defensive wizard, takes
over at third base. If nothing else in 2020, Pittsburgh will nearly be an entirely homegrown squad.

A rotation that has Joe Musgrove, Trevor Williams, Steven Brault and the current version of Archer is not impressive, even if 23-year-old fireballer Mitch Keller breaks through. If the pitching was a little better, if the lineup had a little more pop, if ownership cared a little more about winning, the Pirates could be a sleeper. As it is, they’ll be the best last-place team in the game. — Joe Sheehan

Projected Record: 62-100, 5th in NL Central

A long rebuild begins under the new leadership of GM Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton. Things are going to get worse in Pittsburgh before they get better.

Key Question: Will the Pirates Have More Than One All-Star?

Josh Bell and Felipe Vazquez made the NL roster last year. Bell could slug his way to the All-Star Game again in 2020, though Vazquez is currently facing criminal charges and is no longer with the team. Outfielder Bryan Reynolds is worth paying attention to as a possible All-Star this season. — Matt Martell

Player Spotlight

Moving Up: Gregory Polanco, OF

Recovered from a left shoulder injury, the 28-year-old outfielder should have a bit more pop, good for at least 25 home runs. 

Moving Down: Chris Archer, SP

Since being acquired by Pittsburgh in July 2018, the 31-year-old righty has a 4.92 ERA; he had a 3.69 mark in seven years with the Rays.

Watchability Ranking: Avert Your Eyes

Remember the Pirates’ hot streaks last year? First in April, then just before the All-Star Break, both inspiring hope that ultimately proved foolish? In a sense, this year’s team should be more watchable, because there should be less room for false hopes. They should just be uniformly bad. No emotional roller-coaster here. — Emma Baccellieri

Preview of the 2030 Preview

Oneil Cruz, SS: It’s unfair to say that the Pirates couldn’t figure out how to be good so they settled for being interesting. And yet . . . in 2021, Oneil Cruz debuted as a 6' 7" shortstop, tied for the tallest ever at the position. An athletic marvel, Cruz benefited handsomely from teams’ ability to position players well, not only surviving at the spot but also thriving. The Pirates’ defense-savvy reputation has pushed Cruz to the top of the fielding leaderboards in the nine years since his arrival. — Craig Goldstein