BRADENTON, Fla. – When David Freese, a World Series MVP in 2011, joined the Pirates two springs ago, he walked into a clubhouse that won 98 games the previous season. Although Neil Walker was gone, he expected to be surrounded by the type of championship atmosphere he experienced as an opposing player at PNC Park during the NL Division Series in 2013.
However, it took Freese a matter of days to realize something was amiss with his new team, and in his opinion, it was the dynamic inside the clubhouse that led to the Pirates missing the playoffs the past two seasons.
Freese, now a bench player at 34 years old, spoke to reporters for 20 minutes Friday morning, and he wanted to make it clear that the club's struggles were not just the result of which players were or weren't on the field.
"I haven’t done the best job," Freese said. "I think everybody can do better. [Clint] Hurdle, the coaches, the players – everybody around can focus on what’s truly important. But you’ve got to start from the ground up. ... The last two years, we haven’t done as well as we could have because of our environment. That’s what I think. I walk in every day, and it’s not in the air. The demand to win just hasn’t been in the air. That’s what you need. You can say all you want about how we’re going to win, this and that, but if you don’t walk in and you don’t feel it and you don’t see it in people’s eyes, it’s just not going to work.”
Hurdle, though, didn't agree with Freese's perception. Although he respects the veteran third baseman's opinion, Hurdle said Freese was not a part of the Pirates' three consecutive playoff appearances, so it would be difficult for him to pinpoint what, if anything, was amiss.
Hurdle wasn't surprised about Freese's comments, though. Freese shared his opinion with Hurdle at the conclusion of last season and the two have spoken a number of times throughout the offseason.
"I think that’s one of the best lessons I’ve learned over time is you can’t argue with somebody about their perception, and I think when you accumulate all the information from a lot of different people, especially guys with experience — David would fall into that category. You listen, you find truth and then you talk about opportunities to improve, areas to improve, methods to improve. ... I’m not going to argue with David’s perception. I see it a little differently, but I’m not in the clubhouse every day, by design. I honor what the men have to say."
Considering the state of the organization, specifically its propensity to trade away players prior to free agency, Freese said "it was time" for the club to deal Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole. After all, McCutchen was entering the final season of his contract and was surely not going to return. Cole was also likely to depart following next season.
Neal Huntington told reporters at Major League Baseball's spring training media day Thursday night that he traded both players because he thought it was necessary to help the Pirates return to the postseason. Huntington also said that his club has all the talent it needs to compete in 2018.
Freese didn't disagree with that assessment, but his solution to what has ailed the franchise is far more simple than making a series of trades. In his opinion, whoever takes the field needs to take winning seriously.
"You look around and, not a ton of experience, but who needs experience, honestly?" Freese explained. "If you’re good, you’re good; you’re going to play well. These young guys on this team are animals, and they’re studs. ... But the three hours, man, when you’re in that dugout and on that field, it has to be about kicking some ass. When you’re losing 10-2 in the pouring rain against Joe Maddon and you’re laughing, that’s not good. That says a lot."
Freese understands why some of his teammates are angry over McCutchen and Cole being traded. Both players were foundational pieces of the franchise's return to prominence and friendships were forged.
Sean Rodriguez told reporters at PiratesFest in December that trading a piece of the core after the 98-win season had a negative effect on clubhouse chemistry, which resulted in poorer performance on the field.
Earlier in his managerial career, Hurdle often spent more time in the clubhouse chatting with players, but he's repeatedly told reporters that he found that method to not be nearly as effective when leading a team. He said he's a firm believer in allowing his players to take ownership.
Although Freese was not on the roster in 2015, his teammates expressed frustrations that some players did not return, which caused an apparent rift. On one hand, Freese said he respected Josh Harrison's statement that he'd prefer to be traded if the Pirates didn't intend to contend in 2018. But Freese also doesn't want to allow recent roster moves to negatively impact attitudes.
"I was a part of '13," Freese said. "I can still hear that crowd when Pedro [Alvarez] hit that homer off [Michael] Wacha. My goodness, why wouldn't you want that every year? And then after '15 when you look around, maybe some deals weren't matched, and some guys don't show back up that you wish were still around and this and that, it's going to pop the balloon a little bit. I think that's just human nature. You just got to step up and keep working."
Freese didn't let ownership or the front office off the hook, though. He said it "boggles my mind" that the organization did not surround McCutchen with more talent to try to accomplish more during his time in Pittsburgh.
Freese, entering his 10th major league season, said although the front office intends to win that it often gets ahead of itself with the focus on analytics, neglecting basic components of winning such as accountability and urgency.
"You look at a guy like Cutch, I think he deserved better just in the sense that he’s a guy that took this organization from the ground to the spotlight," Freese added. "He did it. Nobody else. He was the centerpiece, and you just hope that all the people in Pittsburgh, all the fans, you wish it could have ended better for him. Surrounding him with a group that wanted to beat some ass for him. That guy, he’s obviously going to be a hero for the city of Pittsburgh forever. But man, it could have been so much more."
Freese said "demanding to win" is not a realistic initiative. He knows the franchise's focus on "staying out of the red," saying it "kind of sucks" knowing that a player like Jameson Taillon could blossom into a star, only to leave when he approaches free agency.
But he wants his teammates to demand more from themselves. Since the conclusion of the Pirates' 87 loss season in 2017, Hurdle and Huntington have repeatedly said that injuries, as well as the losses of Marte and Jung Ho Kang, were to blame for the club's struggles.
Freese, though, isn't buying it.
"My opinion is I don’t think we lost 87 games because Marte wasn’t there or Kang wasn’t there," Freese said. "We lost 87 games because our environment doesn’t allow it. I think that’s something we have to work on. I think it’s important to focus on the foundational components of what it takes to have a winning culture. I think this place kind of gets ahead of itself. They try to keep up with the way analytical stuff and all that is working. But man, you’ve got to have urgency. You’ve got to have accountability. You’ve got to have all these things. I’ve been here for two years, and we just kind of lacked in that department a little bit. We’ve got to pick that up.”
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY