2 Pirates players who will be better in 2025, 1 who will be worse

A highly anticated Pirates roster in 2024 completely collapsed and ultimately missed the postseason. One could blame the coaching, while other aggrieved fans could blame ownership's mandates and restrictions. Looking past all of that, though, the team they built could have been a contender anyway, but when a handful of players declined, or got off to really bad starts that sent them to Triple-A, the depth wasn't there to allow Pittsburgh to recover.

After a small offseason, the Pirates are evidently relying on a multiple bounce back candidates to get them through the season. Some have some metrics that show a resurgence in 2025 is plausible, but there is another player they're relying upon that could very well regress at the same time.

These two Pirates will get better in 2025, while one player seems poised for a step back.

Ke'Bryan Hayes

Coming off a solid 2023 season, all eyes were on Hayes in 2024, as the extension began to look like a well-timed small market steal. But after a hot start to the season, Hayes battled multiple stints on the injured list, preventing him from playing. When he was on the field, the residual effects of his injuries hurt his game badly. Ultimately, this led him to career worsts in OPS at .573 and wRC+ at 59.

It is hard to envision him doing this again, especially since he has proven to have a decent bat when healthy. All the reports about his back being in good shape right now add a lot of optimism that he can improve at the plate, which is exactly what to expect for 2025.

David Bednar

David Bednar went into 2024 coming off three straight outstanding seasons and back-to-back All-Star appearances. He then went on the injured list multiple times, including missing a big chunk of spring training. This hurt him going into the season, and ultimately put him in position for his 5.77 ERA and 4.80 FIP.

If Bednar gets a full spring to get ready, he appears to be a guy that can return to his form. The Pirates desperately need their star closer to lead the bullpen this season, and it feels very realistic to expect him to bounce back nicely.

Bailey Falter

Falter was very solid in 2024, exceeding all expectations. The numbers he put up were just what the Pirates needed to complete their rotation, but that progress is not likely to stick, given his advanced metrics. His ERA was not too shabby at 4.43, but his xERA was at 4.81. He overperformed expectations, which helped the Pirates, but the addition of Andrew Heaney makes it clear they're unsure the magic will last.

Add in Falter's poor barrel rates (9%), average exit velocity (90.1 mph), and hard-hit rate of 41.3%, and you have a picture of someone whose game is pitch-to-contact (and the contact's getting harder). He struggles to generate whiffs, too, at a low clip of 19.6%. It appears that he got away with some luck in 2024, and unfortunately he may decline in 2025. Now, we just wait and see whether or not that decline occurs in a Pirates uniform.