Tristan Huyett | staff writer |

The 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates’ season was one of exciting highs and embarrassing lows. They finished 76-86 for the second year in a row and finished fifth in the National League Central Division. They haven’t finished better than fourth in the division since a third-place finish in 2016.

This season marked the fifth for Derek Shelton as the manager, and after the season’s conclusion, Shelton’s managerial record sits at a putrid 294 wins and 414 losses. In a city where Mike Tomlin has been a steady presence and the epitome of consistency for the Steelers right across the street from PNC Park, it is borderline malpractice that Shelton was not only able to finish out the 2024 season, but will likely be returning next year, after owner Bob Nutting and General Manager Ben Cherington both publicly supported the idea of Shelton being back next season.

Granted, while Shelton clearly isn’t elevating this team, the Pirates’ roster leaves a lot to be desired. While young stars like Oneil Cruz and Paul Skenes have shown loads of potential, the rest of the Pirates team is not very good.

Three qualified hitters finished with an above-average OPS+. Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and fan favorite Andrew McCutchen. Outside of those three, there isn’t a credible threat with the bat in their lineup, although early returns on mid-season acquisition Joey Bart are promising.

Looking at the pitching staff, outside of the utter dominance that is Skenes, there isn’t much for the team to hang its hat on either.

In games started by Skenes, the Pirates had a record of 15-8. They won at a 43% clip in games started by anyone else. Of course, not everyone is Paul Skenes, but it would help if everyone were, well, at least decent.

The Pirates had only two starting pitchers finish with an ERA+ above league average. Skenes, and fellow rookie-flamethrower Jared Jones, who battled injuries late in autumn.

The bullpen finished with the fourth-worst ERA in the sport. After leading the National League in saves just one year ago, David Bednar was dreadful, losing his role as the team’s closer as he battled an injury that kept him out of action for a month, although he wasn’t very good pre-injury either.

But hey, with some promising young players, and several players coming off the payroll in 2025, there is certainly reason for optimism for big moves when free agency starts this winter, right?

Not if Nutting has anything to say about it.

Nutting, who cut Rowdy Tellez when he was just four plate-appearances shy of a $200,000 bonus, is notoriously frugal and there isn’t much reason to expect that to change this off-season.

In 2024, the Pirates had the second lowest payroll in baseball, behind only the Oakland Athletics, according to Spotrac.

Before the 2023 season, the team re-signed Mitch Keller to a five-year, $77 million deal, the largest ever for a pitcher in team history. While Keller was okay in 2023, his performance this season was not what the team was expecting, as he finished tied for a career-high of 12 losses and a 4.25 ERA.

It’s hard to imagine with how Keller performed after signing a rare eight-figure deal from Nutting, that Nutting would be inclined to spend again this off-season, especially given that Ke’Bryan Hayes has not lived up to his $70 million deal either. Reynolds is the only other Pirates player on a large deal, with his $106 million contract being the largest for any player in team history.

In a sport where bidding for elite players typically starts in the $300 million range, Nutting has done nothing to show that he would be willing to meet that number. When factoring in Nutting’s handling of the Tellez contract, it’s hard to imagine any player seeing Pittsburgh as a place where they would want to sign and play for their entire career, given the ownership’s obvious lack of interest in team success and care for his players.

For instance, Skenes is a player that a team would never want to see in another uniform. But is that a more realistic outcome than Nutting paying what very well could be $400 million to keep Skenes in the Steel City? That’s a decision for Nutting and the front office, but if history indicates anything, it may continue to be a rocky decade for the Pirates.

The Pirates have been dwelling in the basement of the National League for the better part of a decade, and it’s hard to see that changing when Nutting just does not care, and the city of Pittsburgh deserves better.