North Shore Nine

In this three-part series we will look at a trio of different offseason scenarios for the Pirates. The first part will look at the “Pirate Special”, this will be the depressing all internal Pirate offseason scenario. This will be followed by a scenario more reasonable where Pirates add a bit in FA and in Trade. The last part will be the best-case scenario, where everything comes up Millhouse, though still within Pirates self-imposed limitations.

The Pirates under owner Bob Nutting have been known to be one of the most “cost accountable” teams in baseball. Some folks will call this good business and give Nutting all the Kudous they think he deserves. However, a suffering fan base desperate for a playoff appearance, and even more another World Series Trophy, call him something different, cheap! While the truth probably lies somewhere in-between these two viewpoints, here is a very possible potential 26 man opening day roster for your Pittsburgh Pirates.

Catchers (Joey Bart, Henry Davis):
The tale of two catcher, Bart came to Pittsburgh with little to no expectations and absolutely shined in his first full season with the club. Whereas Davis has yet to make any type of impact on the MLB level and inches closer and closer to full bust potential as the years creep along. Henry Davis has proven he can absolutely smoke AAA pitching. In 2024 he hit .307/.401/.55 5 with a .956 OPS while hitting 15 doubles and 13 homeruns over 57 games. Sadly, in his 37 games at the big-league level he only hit .144/.242/.212 with a .453 OPS with 4 doubles and 1 homerun. It might not be make or break yet at 25, especially considering the next guy to discuss didn’t really break-out until 27. However, with Endy Rodriguez coming off in IL, and likely starting the season in AAA to season, it could be a very short leash for Davis to prove he is actually MLB material. Bart on the other hand was phenomenal surprise for the Pirates this year. He hit .265/.337/.462 with a .799 OPS belting 11 doubles and 13 home runs over 80 games. Furthermore, he was solid behind the plate and the pitchers appeared to respond well to the game plan with him in there. If Bart can duplicate what he did in 2024, and remain healthy for the full season, then the Pirates will be set at the starting catcher position. Honorable mention, if Davis struggles before Rodriguez is ready Jason Delay will be a good option for a backup for the Pirates.

First base (Bryan Reynolds):
A surprise to only the most causal of fan will be Reynolds becoming the Pirates everyday first baseman moving into the 2025 season. The nugget was dropped by management in September he had been asking about the move for a few seasons now, and he was seen practicing there at the end of the season. All signs point toward a permanent switch, giving the Pirates an answer at 1B finally, and allowing for a better defender to be put in the outfield. Hopefully, an offseason of workouts at 1B will help him be at least an average defender at the position. Offensively he was the Pirates most complete hitting his past season, if he can replicate that again he will immediately be one of the Top 10 1B in the NL, if not the game.

Second base (Nick Gonzales):
Gonzales goes into 2025 season as the Pirates starting second baseman, something that was more of a question mark a year prior. However, a very strong offensive season with a good defensive output as well locks him into the starting lineup. However, much like Bart, if he can remain healthy and put up similar offensive numbers then it will be very good for the Pirates. Over 95 games Gonzales hit .270/.311/.398 with a .709 OPS all while doubling 19 times with 3 triples and 7 home runs. A very balanced of offensive output, which is something the Pirates have struggled to find at 2B since the Neil Walker era.

Third Base (Ke’Bryan Hayes):
A strong finish in 2023 for Hayes along with an electric spring had Pirate fans boarding the hype train by droves. Hayes came out and had a strong April, though he had some struggles defensively, looking overall pretty good. Then over 6 games in May he went 2 for 23 and went to the IL for the first time on the season. He came back end of May and played all of June and July and most of August, before ending the season on the IL. However, over those three month he was not the hitter previously seen even in April, he struggled to generate any power, or even to get many hits. He had only 13 multi-hit games over his last 68 games of the year, after having 11 over his first 28 games. Going into 2025 Hayes remains the Pirates starting 3B, however the nagging lower back injuries and the lack of production at the plate will have him under very close scrutiny. Fans are already calling for him to be dumped elsewhere, this won’t happen, but once again the Barbarians are at the gate. If Hayes stays healthy and has a productive season then it will go a long way to ease fears from the fanbase, and to win games for the organization.

Shortstop (Isiah Kiner-Falefa):
With the Oneil Cruz late season transition to centerfield the shortstop job went to a semi-committee approach with IKF leading the way. Going into the 2025 season in this scenario he will be the starting everyday shortstop for Pirates. He had a tremendous half a season with the Blue Jays before being dealt at the deadline to the Pirates. He struggled offensively after coming to Pittsburgh, hopefully this fault can be laid at the feet of a horrendous hitting coach. On the other side defensively, he was just as good in Pittsburgh as he had been in Toronto. He is a very well-rounded player who should see a uptick in his offense moving into his first full time season in Pittsburgh. If that is the case, then he will provide not only offensive stability in the lineup, but also a good if not great glove up the middle. While this not be the ideal plan for many Pirates fans it is not a bad option and could turn out well.

Leftfield (Nick Yorke):
Yorke only played 11 games with the Pirates after coming over from the Red Sox, he started only 1 in left field along with 2 in right. While most of his starts came at second base, he did not look bad in his limited outfield time. He did not have the best offensive production in his limited playing time, only hitting .216/.286/.378 and with a .664 OPS. However, he did manage to hit 2 home runs in the limited playing time he had for the Pirates. While this is not the output that screams, “Start him next year!” However, in this scenario as a man that will be added to the 40-man and is a top prospect, he becomes the starter. Furthermore, he could be a good player given a full season of at bats, and could be a guy potentially hit very well at the highest level.

Centerfield (Oneil Cruz):
The Pirates most exciting player on the Pirates returned this year, and toward the end of the season moved positions to fill the teams biggest need. Cruz moving to the outfield was something that has been discussed at length for a long time. However, this year it became more than talk as he was trust into the outfield part way through the season. The little bit fans were able to see of it makes folks hopeful that he can transition into a dominant CF like many have done before him. While offensively Cruz did not hit as well as he probably wanted to, he did hit very well coming back off such a serious injury. There is a good chance that in 2025 fans could be treated to an offensive increase from Cruz. Couple that with a better familiarity in center field and the Pirates could be well on their way to seeing the Cruz fans have been waiting for.

Rightfield (Billy Cook):
Cook another late addition to the 2024 Pirates at the trade deadline, spent a fair amount of time in AAA before getting a September call up. This is much the same as in leftfield with Yorke, though Cook spent a few more games playing with the Pirates in September. Cook made 10 starts in the outfield, 4 in CF and 3 at each corner spot. In that limited time, he did manage 2 assists and helped turn a double play and looked solid and confident. PNC is not the easiest place to play outfield, if he is able to continue to play as he did then he would be a defensive upgrade in RF over most of who played there in 2024. At the plate he struggled a bit as most rookies tend to do. With 49 at bats, he hit .224/.224/.449 with a .673 OPS while hitting 2 doubles and 3 home runs. The zero walks to 19 strikeouts were not ideal, but there is a bit of a power profile there that over a whole season could interesting to explore. Again, a guy who will be added to the 40-man is your starting RF in this bare bone’s scenario.


Designated Hitter (Bryan De La Cruz):
In this scenario the Pirates do not do the most obvious thing in resigning Andrew McCutchen, making De La Cruz the DH. To say De La Cruz struggled in his transition from Miami to Pittsburgh would be a biblical understatement. Over 454 at bats for Miami he hit .245/.289/.417 with a .707 OPS hitting 19 doubles and 18 home runs. In 168 at bats for the Pirates he hit .200/.220/.294 with a .514 OPS with 6 doubles and 3 home runs. If he had been a rental he would have potentially been waived before seasons end or absolutely not retained in the offseason. However, he comes with team control through 2027 so the Pirates will not give up on him that quickly. De La Cruz might not be the best hitter out there, but in his career he has been much better than what he showed in Pittsburgh. If he can come into 2025 a hit closer to what he has in the past then the Pirates would be in very good space at DH in this scenario.

Bench (Jared Triolo, Joshua Palacios, Alika Williams, Jack Suwinski)
Outside of Gold Glove nominee Triolo a bench that screams mediocre. Triolo however looked again very good in the back half of the season, he put up great number on both sides of the ball in the absence of Hayes. It might be that same “hopium” he gave fans last year, but there is something Triolo is able to tap into when given regular playing time. Palacios and Suwinski are given a shot here as guys that can fill in all three OF spots to give rests to Yorke or Cook, or to give rest to the infield as either Yorke or Cook could play positions there as well. This will be make or break for Suwinski this year, if he is unable to get his magic back he will not be long for the Pirates. Williams is another punching bag for some fans, however he plays well enough in the infield to keep a spot on the Pirate bench, until a time they decide Liover Peguero deserves another shot.

Starting Pitcher (Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, Bailey Falter, Luis Ortiz)
Easiest group to understand as the Pirates will easily roll out the same five they ended the season with. Skenes will likely be coming into the season as the NL reigning ROTY winner, Keller as the most expensive player on the team, and Jone, Falter and Ortiz looking to improve on solid seasons in 2024. There is not a lot to discuss here as if these five remain on the team they all make the rotation with ease. The only people that could change what happens in the rotation are named Bubba Chandler and Johan Oviedo. Both could start in the rotation, but could start in AAA, if either or both have a spring like Jones did then they might belong in the rotation to start the season.

Bullpen (David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Dennis Santana, Kyle Nicolas, Mike Burrows, Joey Wentz and Carmen Mlodzinski)
Bednar did not have a good season, but it is hard to expect that he has fallen off the cliff completely, so a bounce back seems reasonable. Of the rest all had ERA under 4 on the season (for the Pirates), though Wentz only pitched in 8 games for the Pirates and Burrows only in one game. Holderman looked very good most of the season. Santana appeared to be a steal pitching very-very well for the Pirates in his time in Pittsburgh. Nicolas had some rough patches especially early on but smoothed out and became a good piece for the bullpen. Mlodzinski dealt with some health issues but pitched very well otherwise. Wentz and Burrows had limited appearances, but both showed what they could do in them. While it might not look like much on paper it is arguably a much better bullpen going into 2025 then what was thought to be a major strength coming into 2024.

It is very unlikely that this will be the offseason scenario for the Pirates. While they could go with all internal options it would cause an already uneasy fanbase to go into full revolt. Instead of seeing “Sell the Team” shirts at Yankees games, you might start to see them at every game, across multiple sports. The team outlined here could win a fair amount of games, but it relies too much on hitter regaining their touch or playing above their station. In the next of this series a scenario will be looked at where the Pirates add a free agent or two and make a trade or two in an attempt to build a winning team, on the cheap.