The name of the game for the Pirates right now is simple...progress.
2021 brought way more losing than winning, and 2022 may be better on that front, but not significantly.
But we did see some progress made in 2021 at the Major League Level. Bryan Reynolds has established himself as a star in this league, so let's start there.
In 2022, you should expect Bryan Reynolds to have a long-term deal with the Pirates. According to multiple reports, the Pirates passed on mega deals made to them for Bryan Reynolds.
Why would they pass on huge offers for him unless they intended to sign him this offseason? It won't be cheap, but Reynolds has earned this and it's time to start spending some of the money they saved in 2021 by cutting down their payroll as far as they did.
Could Ke'Bryan Hayes get a long-term offer as well despite a down year? I'd expect it. I'd also expect Hayes to turn it down just like he has the past two seasons.
Beyond those two, there isn't a lot at the Major League level that I expect to shake out, so onto the minors, where the true future of this franchise lies.
Let's start with Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras, two of the Pirates top prospects that made their Major League debuts in the final week of the 2021 season.
I don't suspect either will make the Pirates Opening Day roster in 2022 (despite my idea that the Pirates should already offer Cruz a long-term deal). But that doesn't mean we won't see them in 2022. I suspect we'll see both players once service time is no longer an issue for them and they should make immediate impacts on the roster, as we saw them do in their brief time in 2021.
It's certainly going to take more than just those two to turn things around in Pittsburgh, so who else could be on their way in terms of top prospects in 2022?
The main player the Pirates acquired in the Adam Frazier deal was Tucupita Marcano, a 21-year-old infielder that spent all of his time at AAA Indianapolis after being acquired. If he hits, then I'd suspect we could see him make his Pirates debut in 2022, and he's currently ranked #9 in the Pirates system, so there's another top prospect potentially on his way.
Other players I suspect we could see in 2022 would be outfielder Travis Swaggerty (#16 rated prospect) and Rodolfo Castro, who we've already seen at times this year.
Those would all be nice pieces to help improve the Pirates next year, but they're still not enough to turn this around just yet. I don't think the Pirates will be a .500 team in 2022, but I do think they'll be improved in terms of wins and losses and will also be built more on prospects than they were in 2021, which is a real sign of progress.
Aside from their internal options, I suspect Ben Cherington could go to the free agent market for another starting pitcher along the lines of Tyler Anderson and potentially an outfielder if they don't love their internal options, which they shouldn't.
So while 2022 will still be a year in the rebuild process, it should be a year where you start to feel like the Pirates are closer to contending, and you'll even have the excitement of seeing some top prospects make real contributions here, which, is progress, and after all, that's the name of the game right now.