PITTSBURGH -- Andrew McCutchen can sense some frustration in the fan base. Fans won’t dare get in the franchise icon’s face to voice that irritation, but he’s been around long enough to have his finger on Pittsburgh’s pulse and know what’s up.
There was optimism and excitement in the air at PiratesFest on Saturday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, but also some lingering frustration from 2024. It was evident at the “Ask Pirates Management” session, where fans asked team president Travis Williams, general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton a variety of questions for about 40 minutes, ranging from how the team is run, how players are acquired and deployed and the direction of the franchise. The questions remained civil and Williams thanked those in attendance for their passion, but it encapsulated what a large portion of the fan base wants to see: This team taking that next step.
After improving by 14 wins from 2022 (62) to '23 (76) and giving some hope for a playoff run in '24, the team cratered in August and finished with 76 wins again. The question becomes whether this team can get over the hump and compete.
The guys who will be in the clubhouse felt that frustration from last season too, but on Saturday, many expressed their belief that the group can compete.
"We're ready for it,” David Bednar said. “I think everybody in there had a sour taste from last year. Obviously, I think there's some really good young talent. [We're] ready to take that next step forward.”
“I believe that 100%,” Nick Gonzales said. “I think we have the talent. I think we have the coaching staff [and] the ability. I totally believe in it going into this season that there's going to be a different energy around the clubhouse."
“All the guys here have big talent,” Endy Rodríguez said. “We have a veteran guy like McCutchen. Our attitude [is] to go and play, I think we’re gonna be better this year. I think we just have to listen and pay attention to everything the game tells us.”
Cherington assured fans during the Ask Management panel that the Pirates weren’t done this offseason, but having Jared Jones and Paul Skenes at the jump of the season -- both of whom now have a year under their belts -- also puts the team in a seemingly better spot than it was 12 months ago.
“It’s a fun group to watch, be a part of and just go by our days,” Jones said. “I get to watch five guys, four guys -- however many are in our rotation -- just go out there and compete every day. It’s fun to watch.”
It’s not just that much-publicized rotation. Rodríguez’s right elbow feels “like a baby” now that he’s a year and one month removed from surgery and ready to return in 2025. Gonzales improved last year. Bednar -- who is noticeably trimmer -- is aiming for a big bounceback. There’s talent on the roster.
But like he did at the end of the regular season, McCutchen echoed the words of his former manager, Clint Hurdle. A team beats talent when talent isn’t a team.
Now a designated hitter, McCutchen says there were 15 to 30 winnable games last season that the Pirates let slip through their fingers. Winning even half of those could have put them in the postseason.
“When they start to see those things and you go, 'If you did that, you could've won this amount of games and this could be your record. This is where you would've been at,'” McCutchen said. “Yeah, we would've been in the playoffs, we would've been in the Wild Card [Series]. When you see it like that, that's when younger guys are able to be like, 'OK, we can do this.' Because it's one thing to just say it, but when you're able to see it, that changes your perspective. That changes your outlook on not just yourself but on the team as a whole.
“I think it will help if we're able to see those things. I'm gonna do my due diligence in making that happen, especially going into the season, because we're gonna need it.”
Gonzales alluded to a change in team mentality in 2025. McCutchen wants it to be about executing; not just putting together several good months but a full campaign.
“I think that should be the mentality going into 2025,” McCutchen said. “We gotta do the best that we can at executing and whatever that's gonna take, we need to jump on board.”