'The goal's to get into the playoffs:' Players set sights high in 2024

As far as personal accolades go, Ke'Bryan Hayes can finally breathe a little easier. After years of wondering when he would finally dethrone Nolan Arenado and win a Gold Glove, it finally happened in 2023.

"It was awesome, that relief that I finally won one," Hayes said at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for PiratesFest Friday night. "It's been a big goal of mine to win one in the major leagues. I was fortunate enough to win some in the minor leagues, but I wanted to win one at the highest level. For me, it's cool. Move on now. Just continue to do what I do."

Hayes isn't all that big on individual goals and awards, so this was a bit of an exception for the Pirates' third baseman, but he made sure to punctuate his first quote of the offseason with what is on his mind for next year.

"Now, the goal's to get into the playoffs."

It's been eight years since the Pirates last made the postseason. Plenty has changed since then. A failed transition from that 98-win 2015 squad to a younger core. The firing of general manager Neal Huntington and field manager Clint Hurdle, and the subsequent hiring of Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton to replace them. The selling off of that previous core and a rebuild. The trading of Andrew McCutchen and his homecoming. Multiple 100-loss seasons.

And at the end of last season, some hope.

"Our expectations are through the roof, man," Mitch Keller said. "We want to win. We've always wanted to win, but I feel like we have a really good, cohesive group where we can come together and really do something special."

Last year's 14-win improvement -- which included a very volatile first half of the season -- was a step forward. The next step to being a contender is more difficult, but one that is, in their mind, attainable.

“I think we always are focused and all that but I think the focus this year should be making the playoffs," Bryan Reynolds said. "Not just trying to make strides but making tangible strides where we’re winning and in the playoffs. I don’t think that’s too far-fetched. I think that should be the goal.”

It's not all that far-fetched. The team finished on a 37-35 stretch, which is a playoff pace for roughly half of the season. Obviously maintaining that over the course of a full year is much harder, but considering that strong stretch coincided with the team's youth movement, there's reason to believe that stretch wasn't a fluke.

"It was good to end on that high note," David Bednar said. "Nobody gave up and everybody played hard until the last game. That speaks volumes about the group we had."

Many of the young players the team had last year will be a year older, and a new batch of prospects, including first overall pick Paul Skenes, are expected to come up at some point.

But they aren't going to be at full strength all year. Johan Oviedo and Endy Rodríguez, two key parts to last year's club and the future of the team, are both going to be out for the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery this winter.

"I had no idea, so when I found out, I was shocked," Keller said about losing Oviedo. "My immediate thought was like, ‘Dang, that’s 160 or so innings. That’s a lot of innings that we need to cover.’ My heart breaks for him."

On the flip side, there have been additions. McCutchen is staying put, and hes' bringing along former Brewer teammate Rowdy Tellez to man first base. They have also brought in veteran lefties Marco Gonzales and Martín Pérez to the rotation this winter, the latter of whom had his contract finalized Friday evening. Cherington has also stated that he is looking to add, with the rotation in particular still being a focus.

"Excited to see who else, or what else, we have coming," Keller said.

It's hard to see any potential addition having nearly as much potential as Oneil Cruz, though.

Last season was supposed to be the shortstop's coming out party. Instead, a broken ankle limited him to just nine games. While the Pirates were able to keep winning in April without him initially, it was clear that no one could replace him. And while it's probably too far to suggest that the Pirates perhaps could have competed last year had Cruz stayed healthy, having him even scratch his potential should improve the team by at least a couple wins.

"[Cruz is] just a freak," Hayes said. "He can change the game at any time. We love him."

Without Cruz, the Pirates rotated through different shortstops, none of which had much success, including two that they've moved on from (Rodolfo Castro and Tucupita Marcano). That had been the solution for the early years of the rebuild, just throw a lot of players at a spot and hope one sticks.

However, as the year ended, there was a lot less roster churning. With that came continuity.

"Even being here with all the guys, seeing everybody, it felt like we were the same team as last year," Keller said. "It’s 20 faces that I know that were here last year. I don’t think we had that kind of bond that we had in the past. It was really cool to see everybody again like, ‘Hey, this is our team. These are our guys.’ It’s cool to be around that."

"I think even last year, we got to camp, we were still fairly young, but it was a lot more, 'we're here to win,' " Hayes said. "We're not doing tryout things anymore."

A lot needs to go right for the Pirates to compete in 2024. Multiple pitchers need to step up to form a formidble front half of the rotation with Keller. Cruz needs to live up to expectations. Hayes needs to contniue his second-half offensive performance over the course of a full season. The bullpen needs to get the ball to Bednar in the ninth. Another splash or two in free agency or the trade market would go a long way.

But for the first time in years, it does actually seem like there is a path to something more meaningful.

"We know what we can do," Hayes said. "I'm sure everybody's looking forward to getting back down to Florida and getting back to work. I know I am."