Writing about this particular subject is frustrating. The Pirates for three seasons now have steadfastly refused to do anything that might be interpreted as building for the long term, while also making little to no effort to improve the team for the short term. Combine that with a manager whose overriding priority is to cater to the egos of veteran players, and there’s simply no willingness to try to get much value out of their farm system.
The Pirates’ situation isn’t exactly complicated. They’re out of contention and their starting middle infielders are both set to be free agents, unless the team elects to keep one of them for an option that’s many times his value.