73THE PIRAT ES 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 Raysdearly 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.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.OVER
UNDER 69.5MOVING UP
GREGORY
POLANCO
90 OPS+ | -0.6 WAR
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
5.19 ERA | 0.8 WAR
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.| ONEIL CRUZ | SS| It’s unfair to say that the Pirates couldn’t
Ó^li\flk_fnkfY\^ff[jfk_\pj\kkc\[]fiY\`e^`ek\i\jk`e^%
8e[p\k%%%`e)')(#Fe\`c:ilq[\Ylk\[XjX-' 7 " shortstop,
tied for the tallest ever at the position. An athletic marvel, Cruz
Y\e\Ók\[_Xe[jfd\cp]ifdk\XdjÊXY`c`kpkfgfj`k`fegcXp\ij
well, not only surviving at the spot but also thriving. The Pirates’
defense-savvy reputation has pushed Cruz to the top of the
Ó\c[`e^c\X[\iYfXi[j`ek_\e`e\p\Xijj`eZ\_`jXii`mXc%2030 PREDICTION
PIRATES
NL CENTRALJOHN MCCOY/GETTY IMAGES
Just two years after a
winning season, what’s left is a
team that will finish just
a bit above the tanking clubs.