The Ever-Present “What If?”
“What if?” This question haunts the Pittsburgh Pirates, not just going into the season, but during and very likely after it as well. Before the 2025 season even began, we all wondered: “What if the Pirates sign a couple of decent bats?” Let’s examine this question and some others for a few moments.
Pre-Season What Ifs
General Manager Ben Cherington brought in Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier, and traded for Spencer Horwitz—players lacking power for an already power-starved offense. Presumably, these moves were made with the expectation that some of the players already on the team would step up offensively.
This led to the next set of “what if” questions: “What if Jack Suwinski, Jared Triolo, and Ji-Hwan Bae finally start hitting?” Unfortunately, none of them have provided much offensive production this season. In fact, all have performed well below average. Bae was sent down quickly, Suwinski was eventually sent down, and Triolo persists due to his defense.
Injury What Ifs
Circling back to Horwitz, the question shifted: “What if Spencer Horwitz provides the offense the Pirates need?” And, “What if Horwitz is the long-term first baseman for the Pirates?” While the jury is still out on the second question, the first was quickly answered by an injury that sidelined Horwitz for the first month and a half of the season.
This spawned yet more questions: “What if Enmanuel Valdez, Jared Triolo, and Endy Rodriguez can hold down first base?” Today, only Jared Triolo remains. Valdez and Endy are both injured. Valdez is out for the season, while Endy’s return remains uncertain. And Triolo, the one left standing, is only around for his defense as mentioned above.
In-Season What Ifs
Getting into the signings, we have Tommy Pham, who struggled mightily for the first two months. And those struggles led to the Pirates’ acquisition of Alexander Canario which brought a new “what if”: “What if Alexander Canario can hold down an outfield spot while providing some much-needed power?” Early on, Canario barely played. Former manager Derek Shelton gave him little opportunity before his firing. When Kelly took over, Canario saw a bit more run, and for a moment hope flickered that we might get a positive answer regarding his contributions. That hope has since dissipated, especially now that Tommy Pham has new contact lenses, relegating Canario back to benchwarmer status, not that he was hitting much anyhow.
Recent What Ifs
The “what if” questions continued:
- “What if Don Kelly is the answer to the Pirates’ woes?”
- “What if Nick Gonzales provides the offense we need upon his return?”
For these two specific questions, the answers have been more positive than negative. Don Kelly has indeed improved the team’s direction compared to Shelton, with some added context. And Nick Gonzales has provided some offense since his return.
Too Many What Ifs
There were too many questions going in, too many questions up to now, and there are still too many moving forward. Shelton should have been fired before the season, along with the General Manager. The Pirates also needed a better backup plan if a player like Nick Gonzales were to get hurt. Then, as the season unfolded, they encountered even more uncertainties that either didn’t pan out or took an agonizing two months to show any positive signs.
What if we had Spencer Horwitz, Nick Gonzales, Tommy Pham (with his new contacts), and Don Kelly leading the team since the start of the season? I’d imagine the Pirates would be better, but precisely how much better remains a difficult question to answer. And that, in essence, is the problem.