The Pirates are in full rebuild mode. Their focus is to stockpile young and projectable talent. This is the strategy that they need to have. Ben Cherington recognized that and set out on the thankless journey of dismantling the Major League roster. Gone are the mainstays like Josh Bell, Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, and Trevor Williams. They also have guys like Adam Frazier, Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton, and maybe even Jacob Stallings being next up to be dealt. I’m sure Ben Cherington is hoping that Colin Moran and Gregory Polanco put up a nice first half of the season so they’ll generate trade interest. In are a bunch of guys in their late teens and early twenties. The majority of which won’t be seen at PNC for a few more years.
The Pirates have some guys looking to build off either strong showings last year or a strong 2019 season. Players like Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman looked like building blocks for the Pirates in 2019, but both saw a drop in their production. The hope is that they got their sophomore slumps out of the way. Ke’Bryan Hayes looks to build of a strong debut and possibly bring home a Rookie of the Year trophy. Can Mitch Keller become the leader of the rotation and the team and finally put those control issues behind him?
This team is loaded with question marks. The outfield hinges on Reynolds coming back and being more like 2019, Polanco finally fulfilling his potential, and Alford, Oliva, or Brian Goodwin stepping forward and taking hold of centerfield. The infield is a lot of the same. Will Adam Frazier be with the team to start the season? Can Cole Tucker finally take short for his own? The pitching staff provides even more questions. Can Brault and Kuhl continue to build on last year? Who will close? What will they get out of Tyler Anderson?
Those are a lot of what ifs. The Pirates aren’t going to contend. Is it absolutely impossible? No. Is it highly unlikely? Yeah. The Pirates are going to focus on pieces progressing that factor into their future. If they don’t fit into the plans, Ben Cherington has to just be hoping that some trade values increase for some in-season deals.
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