'We have to be optimistic': Pirates GM eyes playoff pursuit in '24, focuses on full season

When Ben Cherington was asked Sunday on his weekly radio show if the Pittsburgh Pirates can contend in 2024, the fourth-year general manager was cautiously optimistic.

“You have to believe that, right? Our job is to believe that we can do that,” Cherington said on 93.7 FM. “We have to be optimistic. We have to believe in what we are capable of doing. That’s part of the game, part of the job, part of the business. But with that, we have to be very honest also and focus on all the things we can get better at. We’ll just keep getting after it and keep improving. That’s the name of the game.”

And Cherington prefers to look at the Pirates through the scope of a full, 162-game season, not by cherry-picking short stretches where they have been among the best teams in baseball.

The Pirates (74-82) won 20 of their first 29 games, had the best record in the National League entering May and spent 33 days in first place in the NL Central. They also took a nosedive, going from a .690 winning percentage in the first month to .355 (27-49) over the next three.

So, forgive Cherington if he isn’t evaluating the Pirates based on winning 33 of their past 61 games, especially when they clinched their fifth consecutive losing season with Sunday’s 4-2 loss at the Cincinnati Reds and officially were eliminated from playoff contention this weekend.

But their 27-24 post-trade deadline record since the start of August is notable, considering they went 19-36 in August and September the past two seasons. They have reveled in the spoiler role, taking two out of three games this month against three NL Central contenders in the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.

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Perhaps the most promising sign for the future is the Pirates are thriving in high-stakes games with playoff atmospheres while playing a starting lineup littered with rookies.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re not paying attention and aware that we played more competitive, and the guys are really fighting and we’re making progress,” Cherington said. “We love to win games, to be clear. I do think the recent stretch matters in that this is a young team out there doing this and competing against a lot of teams that are going to be in the playoffs or contending for the playoffs. It does mean something, but, at the same time, when we look to next year and really be honest with ourselves about where we are and what we need to do to continue to get better and be one of those teams that’s either in or fighting for a playoff spot and not playing the spoiler role or whatever you want to call it, what do we need to do to do that?”

Cherington singled out several players who are making a strong impression, including:

• Jared Triolo batted .579 (11 for 19) with a double, two home runs, three RBIs and seven runs scored in the first six games of the road trip while playing first, second and third base, boosting his season slash line to .297/.385/.392 in 48 games.

“I think he’s telling us, as we plan for 2024, he’s certainly someone that needs to be in consideration to have a role on the team,” Cherington said. “He’s moved around the field pretty seamlessly. I think that speaks to his aptitude but his overall defensive skills. He’s just a good defensive baseball player, wherever you put him. … Those kind of guys end up finding their way onto the field.”

• Despite not being an everyday player, Joshua Palacios has 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 87 games. Consider: Oneil Cruz had 17 homers and 54 RBIs in the same number of games last year. Palacios has a pair of three-run homers on the road trip and has proven potent in clutch situations by batting .306 with four homers and 17 RBIs after the seventh inning this season.

Cherington was asked if there was a place for Palacios on the Pirates next season, given that Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski and Henry Davis are expected to compose the starting outfield.

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Cherington said. “He’s stepped up and really done a good job in his role. He can play all three outfield positions. He brings a ton of energy. He seems to have a good skill set to be utilized off the bench also. He’s always ready for whatever he’s called upon to do, whether that’s go in for defense or pinch hit or pinch run or whatever it is, he’s really attuned to the game. As a pinch hitter, he just seems to have a nice combination of aggressiveness and enough contact skills with seemingly low anxiety. He just gets up there, and he’s comfortable in that situation and generally gives a really good at-bat. He’s a nice player to have on our roster.”

• Right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas was shelled in his major-league debut, allowing six runs on three hits and two walks and giving up a grand slam to Alexander Canario in the eighth inning of a 14-1 loss at the Chicago Cubs last Tuesday.

But the Pirates turned to Nicolas again Saturday, and he recorded a pair of strikeouts against two walks, two doubles and one run in relief of lefty Bailey Falter.

A starting pitcher when acquired from the Miami Marlins in the Jacob Stallings trade, the 6-foot-4, 232-pound Nicolas moved to the bullpen in August at Triple-A Indianapolis with fantastic results. He had a 1.20 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with a .118 batting average against in his final 12 relief appearances, recording at least one strikeout in all 17 relief appearances.

“He’s been a different pitcher since he moved to the ’pen in Indianapolis several weeks ago,” Cherington said, noting improvements in his velocity and strikeout rates. “He went through all the things a reliever has to do — the back-to-back (games), the multi innings, the dirty innings, etc. — and we felt like he had checked those boxes.”

Cherington also noted that Nicolas is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, so the Pirates wanted to get a peek at him in the majors before deciding whether to add him to the 40-man roster.

“We felt like, let’s give him a little bit of exposure here in the big leagues in what we knew would likely be competitive games, playoff-atmosphere games where teams were pushing and give him a little exposure to that,” Cherington said. “The first night in Chicago didn’t go the way he wanted to. It was nice to see him bounce back (Saturday) night. He’s got a big arm, obviously. You can see it: high-90s velocity, a good slider. Like a lot of other pitchers that have been up and down in our ’pen, he’s working on consistency. He’s got a chance to be a good major-league pitcher in the future.”