Baseball is back, so the Pittsburgh Pirates are returning to PNC Park.

That’s the good news for the sport’s fans.

The bad news is MLB and its Players’ Association wasted weeks of preparation by having a labor dispute amid a pandemic. In the time the two sides spent negotiating over percentages of prorated salaries, the number of games and other particulars, a training camp could have been conducted, and the season could be on the brink of starting.

The league and union ultimately settled on a 60-game regular season that will begin July 23 or 24 and finish by Sept. 27, followed by a 10-team playoff. The shortened season involves some radical rules changes, including the use of a universal designated hitter, the implementation of minor-league extra-innings rules (starting with a runner on second base) and expanded rosters that will shrink.

Let’s take a look at how this affects the Pirates.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review Pirates manager Derek Shelton gives instructions during a spring training workout on Feb. 13, 2020, at Pirate City in Bradenton.  

1. Short schedule: The Pirates will play 10 games against each of its NL Central opponents. The games are expected to be played in two- or three-game series.

The other 20 games will come against the AL Central: the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. The Athletic repored six of those games will be against an interleague “rival.” The rest of the games will involve playing two AL Central teams four times and two teams three times.

With travel considerations playing a major role in this setup, it makes most sense for MLB to designate Cleveland as their rival and for them to play the Tigers and White Sox — given the Pirates already play in Chicago against the Cubs — more than Kansas City and Minnesota.

At the 60-game mark last season, the Pirates were 29-31, five games out of first place in the NL Central but only a half-game behind St. Louis.

Consider this: Only one team in their division won at least 90 games — the Cardinals were 91-71 — but the AL Central boasted two: the Twins (101-61) and the Indians (93-69).

The good news is, first-year Pirates manager Derek Shelton was the Twins’ bench coach, so he is familiar with the Pirates’ interleague opponents.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review Pirates shortstop Cole Tucker talks with fans after the first full squad workout Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at Pirate City in Bradenton.  

2. Expanded rosters: The Pirates must submit to MLB by 3 p.m. Sunday the list of the 60 players who will be invited to PNC Park for training camp, which begins July 1.

Teams must reduce the major league active roster to 30 by the start of the season. The other 30 players will serve as a taxi squad, and The Athletic reported the Pirates plan to use Double-A Altoona’s Peoples Natural Gas Field as their training base. That could keep players like first baseman Will Craig, shortstops Oneil Cruz and Cole Tucker, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, outfielder Jason Martin and pitchers JT Brubaker, Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce nearby and ready for a call-up.

For the first two weeks of the season, the active roster will consist of 30 players. Two weeks into the season, rosters will be trimmed to 28. After four weeks, it shrinks to a 26-man roster for the remainder of the season.

Look for the Pirates to use those extra spots on pitchers, allowing them to build their arm strength.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove delivers at Pirate City in Bradenton.  

3. Looking at lineup: Despite a shortened spring training, the Pirates’ Opening Day lineup was shaping up to look like this: SS Kevin Newman; LF Bryan Reynolds; 2B Adam Frazier; 1B Josh Bell; RF Gregory Polanco; 3B Colin Moran; C Jacob Stallings; CF Jarrod Dyson; SP Chris Archer.

After losing Jameson Taillon to Tommy John surgery last summer, the Pirates hoped Archer could anchor the starting rotation. Instead, he underwent neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and will miss the season, which makes Joe Musgrove the likely candidate to start on Opening Day.

The designated hitter will be used in the National League for the first time in 2020 to help pitchers stay healthy, so that should mean some tweaks to the starting lineup.

Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco works out at Pirate City in Bradenton.  

4. Who will DH?: Shelton said earlier this spring he didn’t plan on using one player exclusively as the designated hitter but rather rely upon a rotation.

Josh Bell appears the most likely candidate, given his power production and defensive drawbacks at first base. Bell was on an MVP pace through 60 games last season, slashing .338/.398/.692, with 25 doubles, 18 home runs and 56 RBIs.

But the Pirates also might be tempted to use Gregory Polanco there if his left (throwing) shoulder hasn’t fully recovered from surgery.

Here’s the problem: The Pirates could use Colin Moran or Jose Osuna at first base if Bell is the DH, but they don’t have as many ready replacements for Polanco in right field.

If Moran plays first or is the DH, it would allow Erik Gonzalez to play third. If Polanco is the DH, the best bet in right might be free-agent newcomer Guillermo Heredia.

MLB’s personnel freeze ends Friday, so the Pirates could add a power bat to their lineup if they are willing to spend.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes plays against the Twins Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, at LECOM Park in Bradenton.  

5. Projecting the roster: Based on the moves the Pirates made this spring, the roster projected to have Stallings and Luke Maile at catcher, Bell and Osuna at first base, Frazier and JT Riddle at second, Newman and Gonzalez at short and Moran at third, with Gonzalez and Osuna as possible backups, with Reynolds, Dyson and Polanco the starting outfielders and Heredia the top backup.

The pitching staff should have a starting rotation with Musgrove, Trevor Williams, Mitch Keller and left-hander Derek Holland, a nonroster invitee to spring training. Steven Brault is coming off a shoulder injury, Chad Kuhl is returning from Tommy John surgery and Clay Holmes is recovering from a fractured foot. The Pirates could use an opener, which would allow any of those three to start games, as well as reliever Chris Stratton.

Keone Kela has been named the closer, with Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez as established setup men. Stratton, Michael Feliz and Nick Burdi, who was impressive in his return from TOS surgery, are likely candidates in the bullpen.

Although they were sent to the minors this spring, Brubaker, Cederlind, Ponce and Edgar Santana also are candidates because of the expanded rosters.

The player to keep an eye on is Hayes. Given he is on the 40-man roster, Hayes is expected to at least be on the taxi squad. That would start his service time, so the Pirates should take a long look at their top position prospect and a third baseman projected to be a future Gold Glove winner.

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