According to one Pirates insider, the money the team is saving now, will start to be spent beginning in 2024.
Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette tells The PM Team, “I think after this year, (Pirates General Manager) Ben Cherington’s going to be able to operate a little bit of a difference model.”
“Like I think the pennies that they’ve pinched, I think will sort of be there for him to play with next offseason in ways that it hasn’t been,” added Mackey.
Mackey expects the Pirates to win over 70 games in 2023 but won’t quite get to .500.
He believes 2024 is that year that happens.
“What they need to do is build a bridge between now and when their next wave of young talent and that’s the group in Altoona, whenever they get to Pittsburgh and they’ll be in Indianapolis this year and you should expect some of those guys halfway through to make it up here,” said Mackey.
Mackey adds that’s why a lot the players are signed to one-year deals.
He adds it should be “a real baseball team” in 2024 and that they’ll be “shopping at a different part of the store,” in terms of the type of free agents they can attract to Pittsburgh.