(TNS) — The Pirates went into the All-Star break with a 39-58 record — 19 games under .500, 18.5 games out of first place in the National League Central and 13.5 games out of the last wild card spot. FanGraphs puts their playoff odds at 0.0%. A 10th consecutive year watching the playoffs on television is all but assured.

Despite this, the remaining 65 games still have meaning. The Pirates may not be playing for playoff seeding, but what happens over the remaining two-and-a-half months will have importance for awards, the 2026 Pirates, and beyond.

With that, here are three second-half storylines for this year’s Pirates:

Cy Skenes?

The most important storyline, at least to a national audience, concerns the Pirates’ young ace. Despite their record — and his — Paul Skenes has put together a Cy Young-worthy campaign so far. Will it be enough for him to win the award for the first time?

Skenes, who started the All-Star Game for the National League on Tuesday, is indisputably one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not the best. He leads the majors with a 2.01 ERA, has given up just 81 hits in 121 innings, and has a top-10 tally nationally with 131 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .193 against him, the third-lowest average in baseball. Only one qualified pitcher has given up fewer homers.

The only real mark against Skenes is his record, as he’s currently 4-8 after 20 starts. Only one pitcher has ever won the Cy Young Award with a losing record, as Dodgers closer Eric Gagne won it in 2003 with 55 saves and a 1.20 ERA despite his 2-3 record. Skenes’ current top competition, Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, has a 9-3 record and a 2.36 ERA. But the general understanding is that Skenes’ record isn’t his fault, as any voter can see the Pirates’ offensive struggles this year.

For Skenes, his biggest goal for the season besides winning his first Cy Young Award will be getting more big league innings. Skenes threw 160 innings between the minors and majors last season, and the goal coming into 2025 was to get him around the 200-inning mark. His current innings total, the fifth-highest in the majors, should put him on pace for that. If he gets there, that total can be a platform to build on in 2026 and 2027.

If Skenes wins the Cy Young Award, he’d become the third Pirate to win it and first since Doug Drabek in 1990. Vernon Law, in 1960, is the other winner. He’d also be one of just eight pitchers all-time to win it at 23 or younger, joining 20-year-olds Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Dwight Gooden (1985), 21-year-olds Vida Blue (1971) and Bret Saberhagen (1985), and 23-year-olds Dean Chance (1964), Roger Clemens (1986) and Clayton Kershaw (2011).

Don the man?

The biggest question for the Pirates is their manager. Don Kelly may not have an interim tag, but general manager Ben Cherington made clear after Derek Shelton was fired that Kelly was the manager for 2025. (Questions can be asked about Cherington, but Kelly is the one with a title known to be “permanent for 2025,” as Cherington said repeatedly in May.)

The Pirates were 12-26 when Shelton was fired, then were pretty clearly playing better baseball under Kelly. They were 26-24 under Kelly before their recent 1-8 road trip, but his current .457 winning percentage is still a clear improvement from his predecessor’s .316 rate.

But has the Mt. Lebanon grad done enough to grab the permanent title? He’s well-liked in the clubhouse, has done well with in-game decisions, has said the right things and has generally been a steadying presence in a difficult season.

His job is expected to get trickier after the trade deadline, as he’ll presumably be without several veteran leaders and potentially without some bullpen aces. He’ll have less to work with and more youngsters to manage. But if Kelly can keep the team around .500 after the deadline and continue to lead the clubhouse and make good in-game decisions, he’ll have a strong argument to be in charge in 2026 and beyond.

Young Bucs?

Probably the most interesting and widest overall question has to do with those youngsters. The remaining 65 games should be an audition for the 2026 roster. Which Pirates can prove they belong as big-leaguers?

Current Pirates Henry Davis, Jack Suwinski, Alexander Canario and Joey Bart all have something to prove and questions to answer if they want to be key parts of the 2026 squad. So do Nick Gonzales and Spencer Horwitz — though barring regression, their roles seem more assured. Pitchers Braxton Ashcraft and Mike Burrows are also looking to continue establishing themselves as big-league arms.

Several members of the Triple-A team, plus a couple of potential trade deadline acquisitions, will also suit up for the Pirates in August and September. Jared Triolo will be back, likely with more playing time to figure out his offensive struggles. So will Nick Yorke, who made his debut last season, while Billy Cook could get a bigger look. Guys like Ronny Simon, claimed off waivers from the Marlins in May, and Cam Devanney, acquired Wednesday for Adam Frazier, should get their opportunities, as well.

Of course, the most exciting debut in 2025 is still expected to be pitcher Bubba Chandler. Chandler, 22 and MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 prospect in baseball, seems to have recovered from his rough June in Indianapolis with 12 consecutive scoreless innings to start July. The hype may have dipped slightly, but it’ll still be an exciting debut.