BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have gone nine years without a playoff appearance.

To break that streak, a few things are going to have to break Pittsburgh's way in 2025.

Reporting live from spring training down in Florida, Fastball staff writer Sam Connon broke down the three biggest questions hanging over the Pirates midway through camp.

This time last year, David Bednar was viewed as one of the top closers in baseball.

Then 2024 happened.

The two-time All-Star went 3-8 with a 5.77 ERA, 1.422 WHIP, 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.9 WAR last season. He may have crawled his way to 23 saves, but he lost his grip on the closer role by September.

Pittsburgh's bullpen ranked second-to-last in the NL with a 4.49 ERA in 2024. Taking out Bednar, that figure drops to 4.35, which would still rank 13th out of 15, so he was far from the only issue.

But with Aroldis Chapman gone, there is even more pressure on Bednar to return to form as Pittsburgh's most experienced high-leverage reliever. Free agent additions Caleb Ferguson and Tim Mayza can only take the Pirates so far, filling far less important roles individually.

Bednar went 9-8 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.063 WHIP, 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings, 61 saves and a 5.9 WAR between 2021 and 2023. If he can recreate those numbers, Pittsburgh could take a big step towards solving its bullpen woes.

The 30-year-old righty tossed 1.0 scoreless inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, but he still allowed a hit and a walk. He gave up two hits and a run in the Grapefruit League debut Tuesday.

Clearly, there is room for Bednar to improve in the four weeks leading up to Opening Day. Manager Derek Shelton seems to believe Bednar's execution is at least trending in the right direction, though, so he isn't in a bad spot at the moment.

The last time the Pirates went two years in a row with the same primary first baseman was back in 2019 and 2020, when Josh Bell was still on the roster.

So naturaly, Pittsburgh is once again left wondering who will take over at the position heading into 2025. Bell, Colin Moran, Michael Chavis, Carlos Santana and Rowdy Tellez are all gone, after all.

Spencer Horwitz seemed to be a leading contender, coming over from the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-team trade this winter. The 27-year-old hit .265 with a .790 OPS in 2024, splitting time between first and second base.

Horwitz has been unavailable so far this spring, though, and he is expected to open the year on the injured list as he recovers from wrist surgery.

With Horwitz out, catcher Endy Rodríguez and outfielder Billy Cook are set to see time at first. Then there's Jared Triolo, who won the Gold Glove for NL utility players in 2024.

Triolo played an impressive first base Friday against the Rays, signifying that he could be leading the race for the starting job. But given Triolo's defensive dynamism, Pittsburgh might not want to keep him locked down at one position.

Non-roster invite Darick Hall is actually a first baseman by trade, unlike the rest of his peers, but he put up a 92 OPS+ and -0.2 WAR in limited action with the Philadelphia Phillies between 2023 and 2024. He went 0-for-1 on Friday, dropping him to 0-for-6 through four spring training games.

There simply is not an easy answer at first base for the Pirates, even once Horwitz returns to full strength. The hope is that most of the trial and error can be sorted out during spring training, keeping the headache from spilling over into the regular season yet again.

The Pirates' rotation could very well have more talent than any other group of starters in the NL Central.

Paul Skenes just won NL Rookie of the Year and was an NL Cy Young finalist. Jared Jones also shined in his debut season, racking up eight quality starts in his first 12 big league appearances. Bubba Chandler is one of the top pitching prospects in the game and is expected to earn a promotion this year.

At the same time, Jones missed nearly two months with a lat strain in 2024, failing to produce upon his return. Chandler has never seen MLB action. Skenes could very well be treated with bubble wrap, given his pedigree, velocity and lack of a long-term extension.

Mitch Keller's ceiling may not be as high as Skenes, Jones or Chandler's, but he has made at least 31 appearances in each of the last three seasons. He is a reliable force at the top of the rotation, even if he doesn't have Cy Young potential.

That kind of consistency is valuable, and it is a trait that Pittsburgh's young arms are going to have to emulate if they want to lead their team to a winning season.