The Associated Press Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes talks with team owner Bob Nutting before a game on Sept. 17 in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2024 season concluded late last September with the Bucs floundering in the second half of the season to post their second consecutive 76-86 record that placed them last in the National League Central Division standings.

The Pirates entered last offseason with a promising starting pitching staff, but sorely needing to bolster an offense that included several weak spots in the batting order and left the Bucs with a finish at or near the bottom of the NL in most key offensive categories. There were several questions about the bullpen as well.

Fast forward exactly a year later, after the Pirates finished the 2025 season in Atlanta on Sunday with a 71-91 record and a second straight last-place finish in the division, 26 games behind the champion Milwaukee Brewers.

Not much has changed in 365 days.

The Pirates go into this offseason again needing to acquire batting strength to improve an offense that finished last in Major League Baseball this season in runs scored (583) and home runs (117), and last in the NL in team batting average (.231).

The Bucs have an arsenal of young, talented arms on their starting pitching staff that is led by generational talent Paul Skenes, who captured the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2024 and is a frontrunner for the 2025 NL Cy Young Award when that award is announced this November.

The bullpen, now minus two-time NL All-Star closer and hometown favorite David Bednar — who was traded to the New York Yankees in late July — is again facing some significant question marks.

The Pirates replaced sixth-year manager Derek Shelton with former bench coach Don Kelly on May 8, after the Bucs had started the season with a 12-26 record.

The team played better under Kelly, a Mount Lebanon native, posting a 59-65 record the rest of the way, including a 39-41 record over the last 80 games. The Pirates finished with a winning 44-37 record for the season in home games played at PNC Park, including a 37-28 home-field record under Kelly. The season road record of 27-54 told a different story, however.

Kelly will be retained for the start of the 2026 season, as will general manager Ben Cherington, whose performance has come under increased scrutiny in the past year and a half. The Pirates’ essential lack of significant movement in the trade or free agent market last offseason, coupled with what the general public consensus deemed as an overall bad return on trades made this past July involving Bednar, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and starting left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter has Cherington’s seat hotter than ever following the Pirates’ lack of improvement in what has now been a six-year rebuild under his oversight in which the Bucs’ overall record is 365-505 (.420 winning percentage).

Cherington defended his trade deadline transactions in an interview with the Associated Press, saying that “There (are) always more things like that that you want to do, so I feel really good about the things that we did do. I do believe that we put ourselves into a stronger position going into August, September and the offseason.”

It’s an offseason that will be more pivotal than ever for the Pirates, who endured their seventh straight losing season and their 29th losing season in the past 36 years.

“We’ll be open-minded about free agency,” Cherington said. “We’ve pursued legitimate major-league position players in the past here since I’ve been here, and I’m sure that we’ll do it again. It’s never going to be one thing that solves that issue and helps us figure out the offense that leads to a winning team. It’s always going to be lots of things and a lot of that has to happen internally.”

There is certainly an 11th hour sense of urgency for the Pirates to build around the phenomenal Skenes, who is under contract through the 2029 season but is eligible for salary arbitration following the 2027 season. The two-time NL All-Star finished this season with a very deceiving 10-10 record, an MLB-leading 1.97 earned run average and 216 strikeouts (which was a new Pirates single-season franchise record for right-handed pitchers) in 187ª innings pitched and 32 starts. He turned in 20 quality starts — outings of at least six innings in which he allowed only three or fewer earned runs — but wound up with six no-decisions and four losses in 10 of those outings.

If Skenes wins the Cy Young Award, he’ll become only the third pitcher in franchise history to do so, joining Vernon Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990).

The diplomatic Skenes characterized the Pirates’ 2025 season as an experience that will only be of value if the team learns and adjusts from it.

“This is a wasted year if we don’t learn what we need to do and we don’t know why we didn’t go out there and do what we wanted to do,” Skenes said in a late-September interview with several media outlets. “If those things happen, it’s (been) a wasted year in my opinion. I don’t think that’s happening. I think — individually, as a team and as an organization — we know the adjustments that we need to make. Now we’ve just got to do them.”

Along with Skenes and veteran right-hander Mitch Keller — who posted a very deceiving 6-15 record with a 4.22 ERA with and 144 strikeouts in 172ª innings pitched and had 17 quality starts in which he wound up with seven losses and six no-decisions — the Pirates will bring back a bevy of young and talented arms in 2026 that will include right-hander Johan Oviedo, who is fully healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, and top prospect Bubba Chandler.

After making his much-anticipated major-league debut in August, Chandler (4-1, 4.02 ERA with 31 strikeouts and only four walks in 31• innings pitched) showed extremely well late this season while making seven appearances, four of which were starts.

Young right-hander Braxton Ashcraft showed enough promise that he will be in the running for a rotation spot in 2026, and the same can be said for right-hander Mike Burrows. Top prospect Hunter Barco, a left-hander, got his feet wet in relief during a September call-up to the majors and should be a rotation candidate in 2026.

After Kelly’s promotion, the Pirates responded better under his direction, and it says here that Kelly — a Pittsburgh area native who is the brother-in-law of former Pirates’ longtime infielder Neil Walker — did well enough to warrant the Bucs retaining him as the team’s manager next season.

As promising as the team’s pitching appears to be, the Pirates’ persistent troubles with the bat represent the other side of the coin, and Cherington’s future with the Pirates will most certainly depend on how well that he finds solutions to that continuous problem this offseason.

A call to arms

With Skenes leading the way, the Pirates’ pitchers posted a collective 3.76 ERA that was third-best in the NL and seventh in MLB overall.

Keller, who was the subject of much trade talk before this season’s trade deadline and may still be traded for offense this offseason, signed a five-year, $77 million contract with the Bucs in Feburary 2024. A trade this offseason involving Keller would certainly free up some additional payroll for the Pirates, who unloaded the hefty contract of Hayes, as well as moving Bednar and Falter, both of whom had been up for salary arbitration and a possible decent pay raise this offseason.

Right-hander Jared Jones was expected to be the second top pitcher in the rotation in 2025 after an outstanding rookie season in 2024. But Jones suffered an ulterior collateral ligament sprain in his pitching arm during spring training and underwent surgery in late May, missing the entire 2025 season. Jones is expected to return to the mound sometime during the 2026 season, but after undergoing arm surgery, the status of any pitcher going forward is largely uncertain.

If Jones can return close to the form that he exhibited in 2024, however, the Pirates will have another formidable weapon in their starting rotation. Oviedo’s return this year was generally positive after coming back from the surgery that he underwent two years ago, and the Pirates are hoping that he can continue to progress in 2026.

A starting rotation of Skenes, Keller, a healthy Jones, Chandler and Oviedo could be a quite formidable one indeed, and if Barco pans out as good as advertised, he will add depth and talent from the left-hand side.

With Burrows and Ashcraft also candidates to break into the starting rotation, the Pirates possess what is almost an embarrassment of riches in their rotation entering next season, and competition for one of the top five spots will be intense.

Bednar gave the Pirates a lockdown closer for the better part of several seasons. However, veteran right-hander Dennis Santana — acquired from the Yankees in a 2024 trade — has shown the ability to capably fill that void, and the Pirates will be looking for consistency from the other members of the bullpen in the middle-to-late innings next season.

Among the most pleasant surprises, and one of the Bucs’ most consistent bullpen arms this season, was right-hander Isaac Mattson, who just three seasons ago was toiling in Independent League competition for the Frontier League’s Washington (Pa.) Wild Things before battling his way back on to the Pirates’ roster this season at the age of 30.

Mattson, an Erie native and University of Pittsburgh graduate, appeared in 44 games for the Pirates this season, posting a 3-3 record with a 2.45 earned run average and 45 strikeouts in 47ª innings pitched.

He’s being looked at as a possible future closer for the Bucs, as is the versatile Ashcraft — if he doesn’t wind up in the starting rotation.

Righties Justin Lawrence and Dauri Moreta — who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery — will be other options in mid-to-late-inning relief, as will righty Carmen Mlodzinski, who has also been a spot starter. Righty relievers Yohan Ramirez and Chase Shugart are now free agents who may not return in 2026.

Evan Sisk, acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the Falter trade, is currently the Pirates’ only left-hander in the bullpen, which means that the Bucs are almost certainly going to look to acquire at least one more this offseason.

Veteran left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, a former Pirate who is now with the Boston Red Sox, could be a reunion possibility for the Bucs.

Too many lineup holes

The Pirates are still facing a boatload of questions in their everyday batting order, and it will be very interesting to see how they attempt to remedy that situation in the coming months.

They got little or no offense from the catching spot this year, as 2021 MLB top draft pick Henry Davis continued to struggle at the plate, posting a .167 batting average in 87 games, and Joey Bart took a significant step back with the bat after enjoying a productive 2024 first season in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are hoping that youngster Rafael Flores, obtained in the Bednar trade, can progress and help to fill the void.

Hayes’ chronic back problems resulted in his general ineffectiveness at the plate over the past two seasons, and prompted his trade. There is still little or no power for the Pirates at the third base position, which, along with the catching and first base positions, are spots that teams usually look toward to provide considerable offensive production, including long-ball power.

Jared Triolo is an outstanding Gold Glove defensive player, but hasn’t shown that he can provide the overall offensive firepower that the Pirates are looking for at third base, shortstop or first base.

The Pirates moved shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa in late August, and Konnor Griffin, MLB’s top prospect and Baseball America’s 2025 Minor League Player of the Year who finished this season at the Class AA level with the Altoona Curve, might make it to Pittsburgh next season and bring with him a much-needed potent bat at that position. However, prospects are only prospects until they can prove that they can consistently perform at the highest level.

Nick Yorke, acquired from Boston in a trade late last season, got his feet wet this season with the Bucs and can play a variety of positions but is primarily a second baseman.

Spencer Horwitz missed considerable time early this season with a wrist injury and gives the Pirates a serviceable first baseman. Horwitz hit 11 home runs, drove in 51 runs and batted .273 while appearing in 107 games.

Two-time All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds slumped miserably in the first half of the season, picked things up in the second half and finished with 16 homers, 73 RBIs and a .244 batting average — drop-offs from the 2024 season in each of those categories. Reynolds also struck out 173 times in 586 at-bats.

Center fielder Oneil Cruz remains an enigma, boasting admirable raw power that surfaces from time to time, along with the caliber of speed that enabled him to tie for the NL lead in stolen bases (38) this year. Cruz, who finished the season with 20 homers and 61 RBIs, staggered through a miserable second half, however, batting just .178 with only four homers and 24 RBIs after the All-Star break, and it’s not inconceivable that he could be on the trade block this offseason. Like Reynolds, Cruz struck out a ton this season — 173 times in 470 at-bats. Cruz finished with a batting average of only .200.

Veteran journeyman outfielder Tommy Pham, a free-agent pickup last winter, was the Pirates’ best hitter from mid-to-late season after making an adjustment in the contact lenses that he wears to cope with a long-standing eyesight issue. Pham wound up with a .244 batting average, 10 home runs and 52 RBIs after enduring a woeful first three months of the season. At 38, he still might be worth bringing back next year if he and the Pirates can agree on a contract.

What about Cutch?

Franchise icon Andrew McCutchen will turn 39 later this fall but still possesses decent pop in his bat and a good eye at the plate. McCutchen — who hit 13 homers and drove in 57 runs this season — has signed three consecutive one-year $5 million contracts with the Pirates, and there’s a possibility of the Pirates bringing him back on another such contract next season.

McCutchen has gone on record as saying that he doesn’t intend to retire, but that playing on a winning team with a chance to excel in the postseason is a priority for him.

Like Skenes, Cutch also went on record this season with the statement that changes need to be made in order for the Pirates to return to the postseason for the first time since he led them there back in 2015.

Up, down but mostly down

Consistency was again a problem for the Pirates, as was evidenced by their vastly disparate home and road records.

The Pirates boasted an 11-1 home-field record against two division champions and a Wild Card playoff team — sweeping three-game series from the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies, the NL West champion and defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League Wild Card playoff qualifying Detroit Tigers. Pittsburgh also won two out of three home games against the AL East champion Toronto Blue Jays.

On the flip side, the Pirates’ abysmal 27-54 road record was tied with the Chicago White Sox for second-worst in MLB, better than only the NL West Division’s last-place Colorado Rockies’ 18-63 road mark.

The Pirates followed promising stretches with treacherous ones this season. After sweeping two straight three-game series from the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals from June 27-July 2, in which they outscored those teams by a combined 43-4 that established a major league record, the Bucs went on a road skid that saw them losing eight of nine games in Seattle, Kansas City and Minnesota, getting shut out three times in Seattle and scoring a total of only 16 runs on the nine-game trip.

Following a three-game series sweep of the Dodgers in early September, the Pirates were promptly swept in consecutive three-game series by the Milwaukee Brewers at home and the Baltimore Orioles on the road.

The Bucs won 12 of 16 games from Aug. 18-Sept. 4, then dropped 12 out of their next 13 games.

It’s that kind of inconsistency that the Pirates will need to overcome in order to make the strides they’re seeking to make in what has seemed to be the team’s never-ending rebuild.

John Hartsock can be reached at jhartsock@altoonamirror.com.

2025 Pirates at a glance

Overall record: 71-91, fifth place in the National League Central Division

Home record: 44-37

Road record: 27-54

Key transaction: The Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton, who was in his sixth season with the team, on May 8, and promoted former bench coach Don Kelly to manager. The Bucs were 59-65 under Kelly, including a 32-33 after the All-Star break, earning Kelly a contract extension with the Pirates.

Most valuable player: Right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes, who made his second straight appearance in the MLB All-Star Game, carded an MLB-leading ERA of 1.97 with 216 strikeouts.

Key statistics: The Pirates’ pitching staff boasted a collective 3.76 ERA that placed third in the NL and seventh in MLB, but the Bucs still finished last in MLB in runs scored (583) and home runs (117) and last in the NL in team batting average (.231).

Offseason needs: Beef up the languid offense through trades, free-agent acquisitions or promotions of top prospects.

2026 openers: The Pirates will start the 2026 season Thursday, March 26 on the road against the New York Mets, and open their home season on April 3 against the Baltimore Orioles.