The Pirates plan to contend in 2019 but, to do so, they will have to navigate quite a gauntlet in the National League Central.
The Brewers won the division this year with a late-season surge, finishing 96-67. The Cubs (95-68) got caught by the Brewers in the final week of the season, then fell to them in a one-game playoff for the division title.
Milwaukee got within one game of the World Series, losing to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. Chicago got knocked out by the Rockies in 14 innings in the NL wild card game.
The Cardinals (88-74) caught fire in the second half once Mike Shildt replaced Mike Matheny as manager and contended until the next-to-last day of the season. After finishing in last place for four straight years, the Reds (67-95) not only have hired a new manager in former St. Louis bench coach David Bell and shaken up their coaching staff, but they plan to spend in free agency this winter.
The Pirates had a better-than-expected season, finishing 82-79. It was the fourth time in six years they had a winning record after setting a major North American professional team sports record with 20 consecutive sub.-500 finishes.
"It's a very difficult division, but it's a challenge we accept," Neal Huntington said in an interview with DKPittsburghSports.com earlier this week at the General Managers Meetings in Carlsbad, Calif. "You have to be ready to play every night and it makes you battle-tested."
The Pirates are looking to upgrade at shortstop and left-handed relief in their effort to make their fourth postseason appearance in six years. Here are how the other four NL Central teams are approaching the offseason:
BREWERS
The Brewers made a big splash last winter when they signed center fielder Lorenzo Cain to a five-year, $80-million contract as a free agent then traded with the Marlins for right fielder Christian Yelich on back-to-back days in January. Yelich is the presumptive NL MVP, and Cain should garner some down-ballot votes.
This winter should be quieter as left-hander Wade Miley is the only player who spent all last season with the Brewers who became a free agent. The rest were in-season acquisitions: left-hander Gio Gonzalez, relievers Jordan Lyles and Joakim Soria, third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Curtis Granderson.
However, that doesn't mean that general manager David Stearns, a former Pirates intern, will sit completely still.
"We feel we have the nucleus of a very good team that is capable of reaching the World Series," Stearns said. "We're always looking to improve, though. We'll do everything we can to get in the best position possible to win after coming so close to the World Series last year."
CUBS
Throughout the past season, it was assumed the Cubs would be players for the two biggest names on the free-agent market. However, it now appears they won't be in the running for Bryce Harper or Manny Machado.
Instead, the Cubs' focus will be on bolstering their bullpen. Left-handers Jorge De La Rosa, Jaime Garcia and Justin Wilson became free agents, along with right-hander Jesse Chavez.
The Cubs don't have much money to spend. Their payroll is bloated with the contracts of right-hander Yu Darvish and right fielder Jason Heyward. In fact, a team that won the World Series just two years ago and was talked about as a potential dynasty seems headed for a crossroads in 2019.
It's time to produce, or else there is a chance for significant change for this group," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.
CARDINALS
Despite just missing the postseason, the Cardinals are confident about ending their three-year playoff drought in 2019. They went 41-28 under Shildt after being just 47-46 at the time he was promoted from bench coach.
The Cardinals are looking for a big bat to bolster their offense. Harper and Machado both could be in play here despite not being frequently connected with St. Louis in early offseason rumors. The Cardinals went big-game hunting last winter and had agreed to a deal with the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton until the 2017 NL MVP used the no-trade clause in his contract to block it.
"I think we've got a better understanding of what the market looks like, in both free agency and trade," GM Michael Girsch said. "We feel like there is some potential that is worth exploring, but whether anything comes of that is to be determined."
REDS
The Reds have given Bell some high-profile help in the dugout. They hired pitching coach Derek Johnson away from the division-rival Brewers and hitting coach Turner Ward from the Dodgers.
Awful pitching has doomed the Reds in recent seasons, but they plan to do something about it. They have been connected to such high-profile free agent starters as left-handers Patrick Corbin, J.A. Happ and Dallas Keuchel.
"We know pitching is a priority for us," president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. "We've discussed every free-agent pitcher out there and how he might fit with us. We've also taken a long look at the trading market. There are a lot of pitchers available, and we're pursuing them."