4 offseason changes that need to happen if the Pirates miss the playoffs again

Over the past two weeks, the Pirates’ playoff hopes have evaporated due to a 10-game losing streak. A pair of sweeps by the Padres put the final nail in Pittsburgh’s coffin. The odds of seeing rookie Paul Skenes take the mound in a playoff series have now dropped to 0.8 percent.

Unlike most of the Pirates’ season, the recent stretch of mediocrity has little to do with their ability to score runs. In the month of August, the Pirates are averaging 3.75 runs per game and have scored five or more runs six times. Unfortunately, they lost all six of those games.

That’s right. The rotation that put up the third-best starting pitching ERA in the first half of the season holds an MLB-worst 6.59 ERA so far in August. The staff has given up 2.04 home runs per nine innings and has stranded just 61.7% of baserunners this month.

Manager Derek Shelton has also come under fire for the dismal displays lately. His use of the bullpen, particularly of Colin Holderman, has been questioned. Considering the Pirates have blown a lead 29 times this season and are 19-24 in one-run games, the manager’s seat may be getting pretty hot.

On the bright side, the Pirates have some of the most promising young players in the league. Fans got a taste of a Keller-Skenes-Jones rotation before Jared Jones hit the IL. A full season of that trio could very well erase the harsh memories of this recent run. It’s time for the club to look toward the future. There’s a lot of work to do before 2025.

4 offseason changes that need to happen if the Pirates miss the playoffs again

Spend money during free agency

Nothing is more frustrating than being a Pirates fan in January. (OK, maybe being a fan during the season isn’t pleasant, either.) General manager Ben Cherington has been notoriously stingy during the offseason, and he has focused largely on internal development over player acquisition.

In some respects, this approach has paid off. The Pirates are about to have one of the best young core of starters in recent history (thanks, in part, to a lottery pick that yielded Skenes). Pittsburgh’s farm teams have been fairly good allowing pitching prospects to reach their potential, but with so many young players on team-friendly contracts, it’s time to spend some cash.

The Pirates could go for a veteran arm to shore up the back end of the rotation until the next wave of youngsters arrives. Kyle Hendricks could be a good fit here, since Cherington seems to prefer soft-tossers like Marco Gonzales and Martin Perez.

On the offensive side, Cherington could end the revolving door at first base. Pete Alonso is likely out of the GM’s comfort zone price-wise, but Christian Walker would be a great option thanks to his bat and glove. Honestly, the Pirates could probably upgrade at any position and fans would be happy.