After an eventful first half, what questions await for the Bucs?

PITTSBURGH -- It was nothing if not an eventful first half of the season for the Pirates.

A manager was fired. A pitcher is competing for a Cy Young Award. A closer was optioned to the Minors and returned in top form. A center fielder had the hardest-hit ball recorded in the Statcast era. There were historic winning and losing streaks.

I could keep going, but why live in the past?

There are still 65 games to go and plenty of questions still to ask about the Pirates. Today, we’re going to look at some of the top storylines for the second half of the season.

One goal for the season: Play winning ball the rest of the way

This season hasn’t gone as planned, but there’s still hope that the Pirates can rebound and compete in 2026. They’re going to need to play better baseball in the second half to inspire confidence. If they play well, it would go a long way to cementing Don Kelly as the manager and that they just need to add to the Major League roster rather than revamp it.

Trade Deadline strategy: Sell, and maybe aggressively

The Pirates have several players on expiring contracts who would fit in well for a contender: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Andrew Heaney, Caleb Ferguson, Adam Frazier and the red-hot Tommy Pham. They are also one of the few teams that has controllable pitchers up for grabs. They don’t need to trade Mitch Keller, David Bednar or Dennis Santana, but if they do, they could command a haul.

Key player down the stretch: Keller

Keller is a leader of the rotation and has been one of the team’s most consistent performers all year. He’s also arguably the top pitcher on the trade block ahead of the Deadline. His fate could be an indicator of how close the Pirates feel they are to competing. The Pirates could roll into next year with perhaps the best top four in baseball: Keller, Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones. They also need more hitters and a Keller trade could help accomplish that.

Prospect to watch: RHP Bubba Chandler (PIT No. 1 prospect, MLB No. 5)

A June swoon has kept Chandler in the Minors longer than expected, but the Pirates’ top pitching prospect has looked better of late and should be knocking on the door to the Majors again very soon. His command has been less than consistent this year, but there’s no denying that he has some of the best stuff in the system and the goal has always been that when he gets called up to the Majors, he stays up.

What to watch for in the second half

Moving past the storylines, what are some of the most important series in the second half of the season?

Games remaining: 65 (Home, 34; Away, 31)

Remaining strength of schedule: .491, 23rd in MLB, 12th in NL, fourth in NL Central

Key series:

July 28-30: Three-game road series in San Francisco: The final days ahead of the Trade Deadline should yield deals and potentially significant changes to the roster.

Aug. 22-24: Three-game series against Rockies. It’s the Pirates’ Hall of Fame series where the club will induct Kiki Cuyler, Vern Law and Al Oliver into team immortality.

Sept. 23-28: Six-game road trip at Cincinnati and Atlanta. The Pirates have struggled on the road and a final trip is a final chance to finish the year strong.