Jason Mackey: Goodbye to a frustrating Pirates offseason that never started and wouldn't end

PITTSBURGH — For a quiet offseason, the Pirates sure made a lot of noise.

As pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City on Wednesday, I couldn't help but reflect a little on the past few months: increased fan frustration (for understandable reasons) mixed with an amalgamation of events that even 10,000 simulations could never have predicted.

While the arrival of spring training should (mercifully) shift some of the focus back on the field, I'm also not trying to diminish the emotions felt over the past 4 1/2 months or the seriousness of the Pirates' situation.

Their unwillingness or inability to add much of substance around Paul Skenes concerns me. It could cost people their jobs and further irritate the wonderful baseball fans in this city who so badly want to see winning baseball played at PNC Park.

We'll see if it works out. It could. For now, though, can we step back for a second and think about the banger of an offseason we all endured? It's the rare one that never really got started ... but also refused to end.

Sept. 30 — A day after the regular season's conclusion, the Pirates fire hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach Justin Meccage. It's not entirely surprising, although what would happen next — OK, what never happened — was less expected.

Oct. 1 — After once again winning 76 games, the same as 2023 and not nearly as many as they should have, the Pirates surprise many by staying the course with general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton.

Oct. 7 — There's a mini-protest outside of the City-County Building. And by mini, I mean two people: Canyon and Carter Swartz, two Greene County natives holding signs encouraging motorists to honk if they hated owner Bob Nutting.

This, of course, was only the beginning of the ire directed at Nutting.

Oct. 19 — Gabe Mazefsky, a disgruntled Pirates fan and policy manager for former Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, spends $600 on a seat behind home plate during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Dodgers at Progressive Field.

The reason? Not playoff baseball, but a T-shirt he wanted to show to the world urging Nutting to "Sell The Team." The Forest Hills native would later appear before the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County SEA Board, voicing his displeasure with Nutting and petitioning to raise the Pirates' rent.

Nov. 13 — Frustration reaches another level when fans raise more than $17,000 to purchase four billboards around the city, a push organized by a former Pittsburgher now living in New York named Zachary King. To date, the GoFundMe page has raised $30,965, with the most recent donation arriving on Monday.

Nov. 18 — Paul Skenes is named the National League Rookie of the Year. It's not a surprise, as Skenes certainly deserved the award. But it sets the stage for what will be an overarching theme of the winter: Skenes' incredible talent, his gigantic role and the ticking clock that accompanies his time in Pittsburgh.

Nov. 20 — Skenes finishes third in Cy Young Award voting. No issue with the voting. But shortly after Chris Sale wins it, Skenes becomes the odds-on favorite for 2025. Tick, tick, tick.

Dec. 10 — Like there wasn't enough simmering frustration, the Pirates — instead of spending to acquire an average MLB first baseman via free agency — further incense their fans by trading Luis Ortiz and two more pitching prospects for Spencer Horwitz.

Ortiz, 25, had been one of the Pirates' best stories in 2024, the right-hander producing a 3.22 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 86 2/3 innings. Only Skenes (6.0) was worth more Wins Above Replacement than Ortiz (3.0), according to Baseball Reference.

Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle — two lefties — were ranked No. 15 and No. 17, respectively, at the time of the trade by MLB Pipeline.

Dec. 11 — Reports surface that the Pirates were listening on Jared Jones and Mitch Keller at the winter meetings and that payroll ... well, it wouldn't change much. This offseason would be more about trades than anything relative to free agency. Pretty sure the lead balloon received better reviews.

Dec. 16 — Trey Cabbage, claimed by the Pirates on Nov. 4, decides that he'd rather play for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan instead. You can't make that up.

Jan. 18 — At PiratesFest, a timer of perpetual hope and optimism, the Pirates — to their credit — hold a no-holds-barred question-and-answer session with fans. Among the queries:

"Where is Bob? Where are you buddy?"

"Is there some way we can come up with something creative to sign [Skenes and Oneil Cruz] now? ... Or are we just going to wait until 2028 and trade them for hot garbage like we always do?"

"Are you committed to winning?"

There were other questions about signing multi-year free agents (hasn't happened since 2016), trade fears and even one about installing a real pirate ship in the outfield at PNC Park.

Come to think of it, I don't hate the idea. As long as there's rum.

Jan. 19 — Little did we know at the time, the PiratesFest hits were only starting. During an autograph session, the Pirates somehow spelled Andrew McCutchen's name wrong.

The "h" was overrated anyway. To Cutch's credit, he corrected a fan during his own Q&A, saying it's actually pronounced McCutcen. Never change, Cutch.

The Pirates also served outdated pop, which had to settle for a distant third when it came to absurdities at the annual event.

Jan. 29 — The Pirates might've struggled to close games in 2024, but they experienced no such issues this offseason, distributing a 10-question survey to fans and asking them to answer serious questions about their perception of the organization:

"Overall, what is your impression of the Pittsburgh Pirates?"

"Overall, do the Pittsburgh Pirates make you feel satisfied as a fan?"

"To what extent do you agree with the following statement: The Pirates as an organization care about building a winning team."

I think I understand the goals of the people sending out this survey. I actually feel bad for some of them because they're only doing their job — and in typical places, professional sports teams can ask their fans ways they can improve.

But as we both know, life around the Pirates is hardly typical. It's always something, much of it dripping with frustration. And while I'm aware spring training won't fix the past 4 1/2 months, it does signal a new chapter of the baseball calendar.

We can only hope it's better than the last.

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