After adding starting pitchers Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales as well as first baseman Rowdy Tellez and veteran Andrew McCutchen this winter, the Pittsburgh Pirates now believe in their chances of making a giant leap in 2024.
At least that's what owner Bob Nutting told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
I expect us to take another significant step forward in 2024. With the current playoff format, another step forward means we can be in the race all season long. This is a minimum expectation that we should have and build upon.
The Pirates finished the 2023 campaign in strong fashion, ultimately concluding the season with a record of 76 wins against 86 losses. This is Pittsburgh's highest win total since 2018, when the Pennsylvania team won 82 games.
But will this be enough during the next campaign? Once again, the team owner believes that his general manager, Ben Cherrington, has done what is necessary, while not mortgaging the future, namely Oneil Cruz, Henry Davis, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Jack Suwinski.
Nutting adds, however, that there is still work to be done.
I'm not going to pick a certain number of games or wins, but for the first time in a decade, we're within reach of being a good team. We're not there yet, but progress is clearly going in the right direction.
It remains to be seen whether Nutting will FINALLY want to reach into his pocket. Come on Bob, you can do it.
