The Pirates won 82 games last year. They traded for Keone Kela and Chris Archer at the trade deadline. There's a solid foundation to build around.
Spoiler alert: They didn't.
MLB.com just named the Pirates starting rotation the 7th best in all of baseball. In a similar exercise MLB.com named the Pirates bullpen the 3rd best in baseball.
The weak spot on the pitching staff is their fifth starter. It's going to be Jordan Lyles. That's not good enough. Not when Dallas Keuchel is still on the market.
The Pirates weren't a good hitting team last year. They haven't done much, if anything, to address that in the offseason.
The Pirates payroll is projected at about 75 million.
Short of winning the division, this season should be a disappointment for Pirates fans. If they miss the playoffs by a few games, you should think of all the money they didn't spend and the trades they didn't make. If they win a wild card spot and miss out on the division by a few games, you should think of all the money they didn't spend and signings that never happened. If they do play in a playoff series and lose, you should be pissed off that they didn't spend a few more dollars to strengthen the squad.
Whatever becomes of the 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates, fans will still have to struggle with what could have been.