{"id":87101,"date":"2024-10-03T20:43:07","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T00:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=87101"},"modified":"2024-10-03T20:43:07","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T00:43:07","slug":"pirates-2024-season-postmortem-report-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/10\/03\/pirates-2024-season-postmortem-report-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates 2024 Season Postmortem and Report Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the regular season having come to a merciful end for the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates, we present this postseason postmortem. After a 14-game improvement in 2023 that ended with an encouraging 35-32 finish, 2024 was supposed to be the year the Bucs finished above .500 and contended for a National League Wild Card. Instead, they ended the season with a 76-86 record, the same as 2023.<\/p>\n<h2>Pirates 2024 Season Postmortem and Report Cards<\/h2>\n<p>First, an autopsy report on the 2024 Pirates\u2019 postseason hopes. Time of death: September 16, 2024, 9:20 PM. Manner of death: a 4-0 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis. Causes of death: weak hitting, poor relief pitching, lack of fundamentals and urgency, and a 10-game losing streak that commenced on August 4, 2024. Suspects: Ben Cherington, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/sheltde99.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derek Shelton<\/a>, Andy Haines, <em>inter alios<\/em>. Let\u2019s issue our 2024 report cards now.<\/p>\n<h3>The Starting Pitchers<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/skenepa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul Skenes<\/a> has already been named the <em>Baseball America<\/em> Rookie of the Year and is a strong candidate for the NL version of the award as well. The big right-hander, who was the overall No. 1 draft pick in 2023, lived up to the hype. He was 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, 2.45 FIP, and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings, which translates to 11.5 per nine innings. His record could have been more like 17-1 with any semblance of a decent offense and bullpen behind him.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Paul Skenes: Baseball America\u2019s 2024 Rookie Of The Year<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FZG3R9rzYm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/FZG3R9rzYm<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HHjLjYWaCF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HHjLjYWaCF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BaseballAmerica\/status\/1840850777751110078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Excluding the occasional \u201copener,\u201d Pirates starters not named Skenes had a collective 4.45 ERA and 1.326 WHIP. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellemi03.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Keller<\/a>, the Pirates\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/22\/mitch-keller-extension-pirates\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">$77 million man<\/a>, was paid like an ace but didn\u2019t produce like one. He was 11-12 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.303 WHIP. Fearless rookie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=jonesja09,jones-013jar&amp;search=Jared+Jones&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jared Jones<\/a> started the year like <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/24\/pirates-rookie-pitcher-jared-jones\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">gangbusters<\/a>. However, returning from a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/05\/pirates-jones-injury-out-long\/\" target=\"_self\">long stint<\/a> on the injured list on August 27, his ERA for the rest of the season was 5.87. Left-hander <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/falteba01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bailey Falter<\/a> was a useful back-of-the-rotation starter. A slew of fifth starters, including offseason free agent signee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/perezma02.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mart\u00edn P\u00e9rez<\/a>, were tried and largely failed. Eventually, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/ortizlu03.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luis Ortiz<\/a> emerged to pitch well enough to anchor a rotation berth. Skenes, Keller, and Jones will be fixtures in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Falter and Ortiz will face challenges from the Pirates\u2019 deep pitching prospects. <strong>Grade: C.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Bullpen<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tellero01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rowdy Tellez<\/a> made three relief appearances in the 2024 season for the Pirates. That might be all that needs to be said about the relief corps. Free agent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chapmar01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aroldis Chapman<\/a> was added to what was supposed to be a lockdown bullpen with returnees <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bednada01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Bednar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holdeco01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colin Holderman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mlodzca01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carmen Mlodzinski<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/borucry01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ryan Borucki<\/a>. Due to injuries, however, the five relievers were never on the team at the same time <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/09\/01\/pirates-reinstate-holderman-borucki\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">until September 1<\/a>. Even so, they were shockingly ineffective and responsible for several demoralizing losses. Bednar, an All-Star closer the previous two years, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/29\/closer-options-pirates-bednar-slumps\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">blew seven saves<\/a> and was rocked for a 5.77 ERA. Holderman and Chapman blew five saves each. Chapman went through his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/29\/chapman-pirates-underperforming-disappointment\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">annual string of wildness<\/a> but bounced back in time to take the closer role from Bednar.<\/p>\n<p>Among other relievers worth noting, June addition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/santade01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dennis Santana<\/a> had a streak of 21 games without an earned run. Young <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nicolky01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Nicolas<\/a>, who enters 2025 with his rookie status still intact, had a nice streak of his own. In 30 games from June 12 to September 1, his ERA was 2.12. Trade acquisition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/beeksja02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Beeks<\/a> pitched in 26 games in his two months with the Bucs. His 3.92 ERA and 1.790 WHIP weren\u2019t as impressive as his willingness to take the ball. <strong>Grade: D.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Catchers<\/h3>\n<p>The early season <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/03\/pirates-second-overall-pick\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">trade<\/a> that brought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bartjo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joey Bart<\/a> to Pittsburgh may have been the catch of the 2024 season for the Pirates, no pun intended. In 80 games, he hit .265\/.337\/.462, 13 HR, 45 RBI, and 120 OPS+. He seized the starting catcher\u2019s job when healthy and frequently hit third or fourth in the order. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davishe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Henry Davis<\/a>, the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick, still couldn\u2019t figure out major league pitching. All one needs to know about his season is that the Pirates bypassed him in May and recalled career minor leaguer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kochgr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grant Koch<\/a> in his stead. Veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/grandya01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yasmani Grandal<\/a> hit just .228\/.304\/.400, 9 HR, and 27 RBI. He threw out a woeful eight percent of would-be base stealers.<\/p>\n<p>If Bart hits as high in the order next year, the Pirates are in trouble again. But let\u2019s not evaluate him in comparison to other third or fourth hitters in baseball. It\u2019s not his fault the Pirates\u2019 hitting was weak. Additionally, let\u2019s give Grandal credit for hitting .311\/.440\/.554 over the season\u2019s final two months. From August 4-14, when the Pirates lost 10 in a row and were dropping out of the Wild Card race, Grandal didn\u2019t fold, going 5-for-18 with three walks and a sacrifice bunt. <strong>Grade: B.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/llk7Hn4b_28?si=zPSc21zb9PKQnwC2\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>The Infield<\/h3>\n<p>As a whole, the infield provided sub-major league-average offense. The Pirates&#8217; star shortstop, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cruzon01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oneil Cruz<\/a>, was the brightest spot on offense among the infielders. He hit .259\/.324\/.449, 21 HR, and 76 RBI while swiping 22 bags. However, it seems that besides being a generational talent, he\u2019s also a slow learner. Cruz often rankled with his baserunning and fielding blunders. Finally, after committing 24 errors at shortstop, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/26\/pirates-oneil-cruz-center-field\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">he became the Pirates center fielder<\/a> on August 28.<\/p>\n<p>After a miserable start to the season, Tellez caught fire in June and finished at .243\/.299\/.392, 13 HR, and 56 RBI. That\u2019s still below replacement level for a first baseman, although the Pirates could have perhaps lived with that if he had a better right-handed platoon partner. Instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/joeco01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Joe<\/a> was nearly invisible after April. Recurring back issues may have contributed to the .233\/.283\/.290, 4 HR, and 25 RBI season the Pirates got from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hayeske01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes<\/a> in 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/triolja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jared Triolo<\/a> broke camp with the second base job but ceded it to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gonzani01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Gonzales<\/a> with his poor hitting. Versatile <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kineris01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isiah Kiner-Falefa<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/30\/pirates-acquire-blue-jays-utility-player\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">trade deadline addition<\/a>, hit .240\/.265\/.322, but plays hard and doesn\u2019t fear big moments. <strong>Grade: D+.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Outfield<\/h3>\n<p>As usual, left fielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reynobr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryan Reynolds<\/a>, a second-time All-Star in 2024, quietly pulled his weight and more. He hit .275\/.344.447, 24 HR, 88 RBI, and 119 OPS+. Reynolds doesn\u2019t get strong grades defensively, but those grades don\u2019t pass the eye test. He made several highlight-reel catches and had 11 assists. Rumors around Pittsburgh that the Pirates are considering moving him to first base are silly. That seems appropriate only in the unlikely event they sign two slugging outfielders in the offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz has taken to center field reasonably well and is not afraid to take charge. Pirates outfielders not named Reynolds or Cruz hit a putrid .207\/.277\/.326 and struck out in 27.5 percent of their at-bats. They were most responsible for the Pirates finishing at or near the bottom in so many offensive categories. Only Reynolds is saving this group from a failing grade. <strong>Grade: D.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Designated Hitter<\/h3>\n<p>The 37-year-old franchise icon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccutan01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew McCutchen<\/a> showed once again that he\u2019s more than a figurehead. He was one of the Pirates\u2019 better offensive performers, hitting .232\/.328\/.411, 20 HR, and 50 RBI. While his batting average could have been better, it should be noted that he was mostly employed as a leadoff hitter and had an OBP as high as .344 as late as June 18. It was also clear that he was playing in pain for much of the season until finally giving in and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/17\/pirates-mccutchen-injured-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">going on the IL<\/a> on August 17. <strong>Grade: B-.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Manager<\/h3>\n<p>The case against Shelton has already been made on <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/10\/02\/pirates-shelton-returning\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">these pages<\/a>. Except for a puzzling reluctance to unleash the running game, it\u2019s hard to take issue with his strategy when he didn\u2019t have enough good players. However, too many players didn\u2019t play hard. Fundamentals were bad, as baserunners ran into outs and outfielders threw to the wrong bases too frequently. Accountability seemed lacking, although it\u2019s fair to point out that for all we know, Shelton might be stern with his players in private. Worse, however, despite the directive that the 2024 season would be the one where the Pirates contended, there never seemed to be a sense of urgency coming from the manager. <strong>Grade: F.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Coaches<\/h3>\n<p>The Pirates had 14 coaches in 2024. I won\u2019t bore the reader by discussing all 14. Hitting coach Andy Haines, bullpen coach Justin Meccage, and strength coach Adam Vish have already been dismissed. Pirates hitters performed poorly under Haines for the third consecutive year. Pitching coach Oscar Marin offered a mixed bag. Obviously, he didn\u2019t hurt Skenes at all. It seems he unlocked something in Ortiz, Santana, Nicolas, and perhaps even late addition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wentzjo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joey Wentz<\/a>. On the minus side, Keller, Bednar, Holderman, and Mlodzinski weren\u2019t as good as they were last year. Base coaches <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brockta01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tarrik Brock<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rabelmi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Rabelo<\/a> must bear some responsibility for the horrendous baserunning mistakes Pirates fans saw throughout the 2024 season. On the plus side, there were few passed balls by bullpen catchers Jordan Comadena and Ra\u00fal Hern\u00e1ndez. <strong>Grade: F.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The General Manager<\/h3>\n<p>After being linked to names like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/i\/imanash01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shota Imanaga<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/n\/naylojo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Naylor<\/a> in the offseason, Cherington\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/16\/pittsburgh-pirates-offseason-grade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">offseason additions<\/a> were rather underwhelming. Excluding McCutchen, who\u2019s in a different category, Cherington\u2019s major acquisitions (Chapman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gonzama02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marco Gonzales<\/a>, Grandal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/olivaed02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edward Olivares<\/a>, P\u00e9rez, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/taylomi02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael A. Taylor<\/a>, and Tellez) produced a collective 3.3 WAR. His <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/31\/pirates-2024-trade-deadline-grades\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">trade deadline additions<\/a> who played in the majors (Beeks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cookbi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Billy Cook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/delacbr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryan De La Cruz<\/a>, Kiner-Falefa, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yorkeni01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Yorke<\/a>) didn\u2019t fare as well. They had a collective WAR of -0.6.<\/p>\n<p>Where Cherington blew it big-time, however, was failing to land <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chishja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-10-03_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jazz Chisholm Jr.<\/a> at the deadline. Baseball insiders felt that Chisholm would <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/26\/marlins-chisholm-pirates-possible-destination\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">land with the Pirates<\/a>. The New York Yankees <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/27\/yankees-acquire-chisholm-marlins-andrew-wagner\/\" target=\"_self\">stepped in<\/a> and nabbed him for three prospects, the caliber of which the Pirates could have spared. All Chisholm did for the Yankees was hit .273\/.325\/.500, 11 HR, and 23 RBI while adding 18 steals in 46 games.<\/p>\n<p>Tellez was a reasonable chance to take, given he was only a year removed from a 35-home run season. Ditto De La Cruz, who, while not being an impact player, at least hits with power. Without Chapman\u2019s late-season performance, the Pirates would have finished worse in 2024 than in 2023. Cherington did well in getting Bart and Santana. The GM was also wise to keep his eye on the future, too. Cook and Yorke could develop into good players.<\/p>\n<p>Two widely respected reporters had different information from their sources during the trade deadline. One said that owner Bob Nutting ordered that any deals had to be payroll-expense neutral. Another said that Nutting authorized the addition of an eight-figure amount in payroll. Regardless, Cherington\u2019s marching orders were to add the right pieces to build a contender. He didn\u2019t. <strong>Grade: F.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>The team\u2019s overall grade? This is yet another occasion where I show off my advanced degree from the Greater Pittsburgh Institute for Stating the Obvious. They finished last. What else could it be? <strong>Grade: F.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the regular season having come to a merciful end for the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates, we present this postseason postmortem. After a 14-game improvement in 2023 that ended with an encouraging 35-32 finish, 2024 was supposed to be the year the Bucs finished above .500 and contended for a National League Wild Card. Instead, they [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":87147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1071],"tags":[3215,1374,5829,3160,3718,5766,3434,6371,203,2255],"class_list":["post-87101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pirates","category-mlb","tag-ben-cherington","tag-bryan-reynolds","tag-david-bednar","tag-derek-shelton","tag-jared-jones","tag-joey-bart","tag-oneil-cruz","tag-paul-skenes","tag-rowdy-tellez","tag-yasmani-grandal"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}