DETROIT — The Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday wheeled suitcases out of the visitors’ clubhouse in Detroit, many heading to warmer destinations. Some went straight to the airport. Others joined the team bus for the charter flight to Pittsburgh.

It was bittersweet — a good clubhouse that led to progress, but not the ending they’d hoped for.

“We’ve been through a lot this year,” manager Don Kelly said Sunday. “Ups, downs, injuries, good times, bad. The guys have been resilient, fought through all of it and have continued to fight. To have the group together one last time and go out and do that again, that’s what we’re looking for.”

The Pirates have a core they believe they can build around but they enter the offseason with important questions.

Here are five they will need to address before the start of the next baseball season — whenever that might be:

Will there be a MLB lockout?

The biggest question of the MLB offseason is not specific to the Pirates. No one knows when the first baseball game of the 2027 season will be played.

Owners are expected to lock out the players on Dec. 1 as the two sides negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. It could stretch into the spring.

The primary issue is that owners want a salary cap system while players prefer the current, uncapped system.

Owners say it’s a way to address competitive balance issues, where large-market teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers have advantages. Players believe it to be a ploy to increase franchise values. They think competitive balance issues can be solved, at least in part, by smaller-market teams spending more.

Spring training is scheduled to start in February, but few expect an agreement before then. The Pirates are scheduled to open their season at PNC Park on March 25. If progress isn’t made, opening day could be missed, too.

Will there be staff changes?

When general manager Ben Cherington spoke Saturday, changes seemed unlikely.

Cherington said he expects to return for an eighth season. He believes the coaching staff, including manager Don Kelly and pitching coach Bill Murphy, are the right people for their jobs.

Team president Travis Williams has not spoken publicly about his future.

It appears as though drastic changes won’t be made, although Pirates chairman Bob Nutting could always pivot.

Cherington wants to hire a director of amateur scouting, a role left open since Justin Horowitz was hired by the Washington Nationals last October. He isn’t expecting any larger shifts within the front office.

As of now, it doesn’t look like the Pirates will make major changes in management after going 82-80 but missing the playoffs They believe they are on the right trajectory. Throughout the offseason, that could always change.

What’ll happen with Skenes?

Several Pirates, including Paul Skenes, will see their salaries increase in arbitration.

Skenes, Jared Triolo, Carmen Mlodzinski, Jared Jones, Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez and Spencer Horwitz will all hit arbitration for the first time. Oneil Cruz and Yohan Ramirez are due for raises.

Skenes’ arbitration could be historic, even coming off of a disappointing year by his standards. He could break the record for the highest first-year arbitration total for a pitcher. That mark is $7.25 million for Dallas Keuchel in 2016. But Skenes will not be prohibitively expensive, even for the Pirates.

That number will affect how the Pirates operate in the offseason. They will enter the offseason with roughly $93 million in payroll on the books, per MLB Spreadsheets’ arbitration projections. That gives them some flexibility for additional moves, but not much — assuming baseball’s financial rules remain the same and the Pirates don’t raise their payroll.

Will the Pirates keep Lowe?

The biggest free agent for the Pirates is indisputably Brandon Lowe.

Lowe was the Pirates’ best player in 2026, posting a team-high 35 homers, 96 RBIs and 5.5 bWAR. He was lauded as a leader in the clubhouse and earned the Pirates’ nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award.

Lowe and the Pirates have mutual interest in a return, as he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he will be “all ears” if the Pirates want to discuss a new contract. And Cherington said Saturday that “it would be a great outcome if he’s a Pirate next year.” But it’s not clear whether such a reunion will occur.

For the 32-year-old Lowe, this is his first and best chance at a big free-agent payday. He seems likely to pursue a longer-term agreement. A deal between $20-25 million per season for three or four years would make sense for Lowe.

The Pirates can offer Lowe a qualifying offer, which MLB Spreadsheets projected at one-year, $23.1 million. If he declines that and signs elsewhere, the Pirates would receive a draft pick in compensation.

Signing Lowe would likely require the Pirates to either extend past this year’s record payroll numbers or free up salary through a trade — although the CBA could have an impact, especially if Lowe does not sign anywhere before a lockout.

Regardless, keeping the second baseman is the easiest way to extend the momentum the Pirates believe they have.

If not Lowe, then what?

If the Pirates don’t re-sign Lowe, they will have to replace him both in the lineup and in the clubhouse. However, Cherington and Co. would also have more flexibility to address other needs.

Third base is the biggest need, regardless of what happens with Lowe. The Pirates ended the year with three healthy starting pitchers, so they could target depth. Hitting left-handed pitching was their Achilles heel. They need to reinforce the bullpen, as Gregory Soto’s contract is up and Kirby Yates is retiring.

The Pirates made progress in 2026 but fell well short of their stated goal of making the playoffs. As an uncertain offseason begins soon, the answers to these questions will determine whether they end their playoff drought in 2027.

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