Looking at potential win totals for the 2024 Pirates

The expectation for the Pittsburgh Pirates should be to make the playoffs. This should be the goal for any Franchise and their staff. However, not every team can make the playoffs, even with the expanded playoff format. So is it realistic to expect the Pirates to make the playoffs this year?

Last year the Bucs ended the season with 76 total wins. This was well past their preseason projections which had them winning anywhere from 66-68 games. The team had one of the best starts in Major League Baseball which had them heading into the bulk of the season with plenty of games to give. Of course, the Pirates gave basically all those games back and ended up with another losing season. Still, there was at least some reason for optimism as the team had only won 62 games in 2022.

So what should be in store for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans for the 2024 season? Well, the easiest way to see the expectation is through Vegas or sports books if you will. Every year over-under for win totals are released and will moved based on how people are betting the line.

Today, March 1st, is a day that really closes the book on the offseason. Spring Training is now in full gear and teams are focused on the upcoming season rather than play acquisition. Now this is not to say that there will not be any more moves, after all, there are several free agents still on the market. Also, there is always a chance for a trade or two during these final weeks as teams start to make 40-man roster moves.

As of right now across multiple sports books, the Pirates are projected to be in the mid-70s when it comes to total wins.

Fan Duels has the Pirates line at 75.5, which is right there up against the number of games the team won in 2023. On one of the newer sportsbooks, ESPN Bet, the team is projected to have one less win at 74.5. Overall, these two numbers are very close to their 2023 total.

The hope is that this team will push 82 wins. The team should be better this year than last. The obvious addition will be having Oneil Cruz for a full season. Can Jask Suwinski make just a bit more contact this year? If so that will push him forward a lot as a player. Also, the team should see some of their young players take steps forward like Henry Davis, Liover Peguero, Luis Ortiz, Carmen Mldozinski, and many more. Also, the eventual arrival of Paul Skenes will be a big boost.

The team has potentially upgraded some spots as well, They should have better offense from the catcher positions between Davis and Yasmani Grandal. The team also brought in Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales, both of whom are lefties and should have a lot of success at PNC Park. They also added some intriguing upside bats in Rowdy Tellez and Edward Olivares.