This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH -- 2024 is a thing of the past. It was a year of anticipated debuts and some spectacular performances, whether it was Paul Skenes establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the game or Oneil Cruz returning from injury and back to his Statcast-breaking form.

Ideally, though, it should offer some level of hope for the 2025 season. Time will tell if that hope is well placed and if this is the year the Pirates can get over the hump. Today, we’re going to take a look ahead to what 2025 could have in store for the Pirates and some of their most important players.

Free agent who would be a perfect fit: RHP José Leclerc

Corner outfield is the more pressing need, but the bullpen is still on the Pirates’ shopping list after the unit failed to live up to expectations last year. Leclerc is coming off a down year (4.32 ERA), but still had some very strong peripherals (36% whiff rate, 30.9% strikeout rate). A one-year deal to rebuild value could benefit him in the long-term, and the Pirates could have another late-inning arm to pair with David Bednar.

Player poised to have a breakout season: RHP Jared Jones

Jones had a very solid rookie season, striking out 132 batters over 121 2/3 innings, but a handful of ugly starts inflated his ERA to 4.14. Anyone who watched him last year saw the immense potential he has, and he continued to develop a curveball into a real third pitch as the season progressed. A third pitch would be massive, effectively eliminating those games where he tries to get by with just one offering.

Prospect to watch in 2025: RHP Bubba Chandler

Some may have wondered about 18 months ago if Chandler was ever going to click as a pro. Now he’s the No. 2 pitching prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline. Chandler can pump upper-90s heat and uncork high spin breaking balls, but it’s his overall development that’s really been impressive over the last year and a half. He tore up Triple-A after a midseason promotion in 2024, so he’s on the Major League radar this season. The only question is: When will he get the call?

A prediction for 2025: Oneil Cruz has a 30/30 season

Cruz had aspirations of a 30-homer, 30-steal campaign before the 2023 season, if not a 40-40 season. A fractured ankle in April cut that dream short. He bounced back nicely in 2024, finishing with 21 home runs and 22 steals, but it only tells part of the story. Cruz consistently improved as he healed and got his timing back and turned a corner against left-handed pitching. If he continues to grow -- or even just do what he did in the second half of last season over a full campaign -- he could join Barry Bonds as the only Pirate to have a 30-30 season.