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Three major offseason questions for the Pittsburgh Pirates
By Marty Leap
Work to be done this offseason
Pirate general manager Neal Huntington has an interesting offseason ahead of him. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a good core with players such as Andrew McCutchen, Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Josh Harrison, and Starling Marte, among others.
However, the Pirates also have their fair share of holes. The team needs help at third base, the starting rotation needs help, the bullpen needs another left-handed reliever, and Jordy Mercer simply is not good enough at shortstop. It is also not a given that Andrew McCutchen is a Pittsburgh Pirate in 2018.
In 2018 the Pittsburgh Pirates could compete for the postseason, or they could just as easily lose 80+ games again. Which way the season goes will hinge largely on how the next five months unfold.
Next: Did the Pirates jump the gun on a Clint Hurdle extension?
The next five months will be an interesting and busy time for Neal Huntington. I, for one, do not envy the Pirates’ general manager this offseason. Depending on how things shake out with Andrew McCutchen this offseason could dictate the direction of the Pirates for next two or three seasons and not just 2018.