What the World Series told us and how it relates to the Pirates

With the World Series wrapped up, there are several things we can take from it when it comes to the Pirates

For the first time in franchise history, the Texas Rangers won the World Series, needing just five games to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The matchup alone was intriguing, solely based on the fact that both teams were just two years removed from losing over 100 games.

With the quick turnaround from both teams, it’s easy to look at the Pittsburgh Pirates and wonder if they will be able to make that kind of jump soon.

After all, they won more games than both teams back in 2021, narrowingly edging out the Rangers by one game.

Of course, the Rangers only went through what can only at most be called a semi-rebuild after their jaw-dropping spending spree after that 2021 season.

The Diamondbacks took a little more conventional approach than you would expect from a mid-market team; they added through trades with some well-placed free-agent signings.

Taking a lot at how each team built its way to the World Series and how it played out, I took notes on what we can take away from it and how it applies to the Pirates.

Pitching, pitching, pitching

The Pirates learned that you can never have too much pitching this season, as they ended the year with two actual starting pitchers in their rotation.

That rang true even in the World Series, as it was the team that went deeper when it came to starting pitching that came through at the end.

While the Diamondbacks had Cy Young contender Zac Gallen, solid middle-of-the-rotation guy Merrill Kelly, and the emergence of former top prospect Brandon Pfaadt, having to turn to a bullpen game in a crucial game four down 2-1 was one of the final nails in the coffin for them.

The Rangers themselves mainly relied on two pitchers to start. Still, even after Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi, they could turn to a future Hall of Famer (even if he wasn’t effective) in game three before turning to the bullpen.

Then, in game four, they had Andrew Heaney, who threw five one-run innings in the win. That gave Eovaldi an extra day off, and the rest was history.

Under Ben Cherington, the Pirates have invested a lot, including the first overall pick this past year, in pitching. Of their top 10 prospects on MLB Pipeline, eight of them are pitchers, and Cherington brought in all but one (Mike Burrows).

That’s a good start. Some will work out, others won’t, but the key will be to have as many options as possible and some free agents brought in to boost the major league roster.

Speed can be game-changing, but power still reigns supreme.

With the new changes in the rules, we saw base runners take advantage, and in turn, major league baseball saw steals increase at a rate we haven’t seen in some time.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of the teams that took advantage of this, stealing the second-most bases during the regular season. They also stole more than a base per game in the playoffs, with 23 in 17 total.

It worked for the Diamondbacks, and being aggressive on the bases was an excellent way to counter maybe not having the most power in the lineup, but it didn’t always equate to success.

Of the top 10 teams in stolen bases during the regular season, only four made the postseason, and when it combined their records, they were under .500 at 806-814.

Interestingly, we saw a broad spectrum of results, as the team with the least amount of wins (Athletics) and most (Braves) both finished in the top 10 in wins.

One team that didn’t take advantage of the rules was the Rangers, who finished 27th in stolen bases during the regular season.

They did finish third in the majors in home runs and second in total bases. Two different ways of doing things led them to the season's final series.

In the end, money matters

The reason that the Rangers went down the path they did, in the end, comes down to money. After losing 100 games in 2021, the Rangers opened their wallets to bring in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien as their double-play combination.

Seager went on to win the World Series MVP, and Semien drove in seven runs total in the final two games.

They also dropped a massive amount of money on the rotation, bringing in Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Martin Perez, and Jacob deGrom (who didn’t pitch much).

The Pirates will never be in the same category as the Rangers, but it doesn’t mean they can’t take some conservative push in the free-agent market.

They’ve made strides in the last couple of offseasons, signing Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds to long-term contracts. That’s not including Mitch Keller, a prime target for an extension coming off his All-Star 2023 season.

The Diamondbacks showed that you didn’t need to break the bank to get to the World Series, but when the difference in the series is the $325-million free agent (WS MVP Corey Seager), it’s hard to argue that money isn’t at least somewhat a factor.