In the meantime, here's what Bucs fans are wondering about in the first official week of the MLB offseason:

One of the glaring statistics that jumped out at me with the two teams in the World Series this year was their ability to steal bases. With Andrew McCutchen coming up and Nyjer Morgan's speed, is there going to be pressure from management on the coaches to steal more bases this year?
-- Matt G., Clarion, Pa.

The Pirates ranked 15th out of 16 NL teams last season in stolen bases with just 57, a total that most certainly should be improved. It's no secret that, aside from center fielder Nate McLouth, the '08 Pirates lacked speed. Morgan obviously added some excitement on the basepaths when he was up with the team, though his playing time in Pittsburgh was almost entirely limited to the final six weeks of the season.

There is certainly an expectation that McLouth can improve upon the 23 bases he stole last season, with 40 being a reasonable goal. Add Morgan and possibly McCutchen to the mix, and the Pirates would have the tools to be more aggressive on the basepaths, and the likely will be. Both Morgan and McCutchen, however, still are refining their baserunning skills, with Morgan learning when to choose his spots to run and McCutchen, who was caught 19 times in 53 steal attempts in Triple-A last season, working on a quicker first step.

The coaching staff will certainly put an emphasis on the running game if the lineup has the speed. Also, don't discount how critical improved starting pitching can be for the Pirates' strategy on the basepaths. The starters allowed 122 first-inning runs, and playing from behind became a season-long trend. As a result, manager John Russell didn't always have the opportunity to be as aggressive on the basepaths as maybe he would have liked to have been.

I think that Joe Kerrigan was an excellent choice for the pitching coach! What do you think?
-- Joe H., Templeton, Pa.

I think we'll be able to tell how solid a hire GM Neal Huntington made by seeing if Kerrigan can get results out of the starting rotation that former pitching coach Jeff Andrews wasn't able to obtain. While it would be hard for the rotation to do much worse than they did this past season, the degree of improvement will be the telltale sign of Kerrigan's influence.

I have not yet met Kerrigan and know of him only from the results he's produced in the past, many of which have been impressive. Huntington emphasized experience in his search for Andrews' replacement, and it would be hard to find many candidates that could have exceeded Kerrigan's 20-plus years of professional coaching.

Have a question about the Pirates? E-mail your query to MLB.com Pirates beat reporter Jenifer Langosch for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content. First Name, Last Initial: Hometown: Email Address: Question:

Catcher seems to be a position that results in a lot of wear and tear on a player physically. After a couple of injuries this year, why is there no consideration to move Ryan Doumit to first base to keep his bat in the lineup? I am not sure how many years are left on Adam LaRoche's contract, but it would look like a nice place to play Doumit, if any of the younger catchers can step up.
-- GC, Franklin, Pa.

Doumit has more value as a catcher than he would as a first baseman for a few reasons. A switch-hitting catcher with power isn't exactly in high supply around baseball, making Doumit a unique asset for a club that currently has a lineup lacking substantial power. Leaving Doumit behind the plate allows the Pirates to have room for a power-hitting first baseman (LaRoche or someone else) as well. You take Doumit and move him to first and there's no way the Pirates will find a catching replacement with as much offensive pop, especially if you are trying to fill that hole with one of the organization's current internal options.

While a move to first base certainly is not out of the question down the road when that wear and tear starts to set in, there is no reason to take Doumit out of a position that he is beginning to grow into defensively right now.

Seeing the Tampa Bay Rays make the playoffs and move on to the World Series gives me hope for the Pirates. Other than building talent through the farm system, what can Pirates management learn from the Rays' success?
-- Rob E., Seaford, Del.

The Rays' success certainly has to give low-payroll clubs such as the Pirates hope that they, too, can follow a similar path to success. Tampa Bay's run to the Fall Classic was a long-time coming and involved smart and successful drafting and a strong player-development system. In essence, it's much the same formula that Huntington is trying to follow in Pittsburgh. Led by GM Andrew Friedman, the Rays also made shrewd trades, most notably the one last offseason that sent promising prospect Delmon Young to Minnesota for starter Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett.

Tampa Bay proved that money isn't necessarily the most important thing in constructing a World Series team, but that it takes a number of other factors to fit into place in order for such a team to be built. It will also take precious time.

I know the Pirates have made public that they would like to bring back Mientkiewicz and Michaels, but what about veterans like Gomez and Rivas? Will they be offered contracts as backups for next season?
-- Matt V., Pittsburgh, Pa.

Management has said that it will approach both Gomez and Rivas about the possibility of returning next season, however, they won't do so for a hefty price tag. The Pirates are pretty high on the possibility of Luis Cruz taking over the middle-infield utility role next season, which makes me wonder how necessary having Rivas is since that was essentially his role this past season.

The Pirates like the veteran presence that Gomez brought to the club, but if they can get that from the likes of Michaels and Mientkiewicz then Gomez might not be the perfect fit anymore. I would say, though, that Gomez returning seems more likely than Rivas.

With the potential third-base logjam (Andy LaRoche, Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez), does Jim Negrych have the tools to convert to second base to eventually succeed Freddy Sanchez?
-- David M., Baton Rouge, La.

With the over-saturation of young third baseman, the Pirates have already moved Negrych over to second to see if his future can be in the middle of the infield. He played almost exclusively at third during the season, but is playing at second in Hawaii right now. A finger injury slowed him down in October, but Negrych is back playing the field as he makes the defensive transition. And yes, farm director Kyle Stark and company believe Negrych can develop the tools to make a successful conversion.

So, I'm over here in Indy and just wondering if any replacements have been announced for hitting coach Hensley "Bam-Bam" Muelens or manager Trent Jewett? We're sad to see them go.
-- Rich D., Indianapolis, Ind.

Rich, the Pirates have not made any hires for any of their Minor League affiliates, including Indy. Those announcements will likely come in the next few weeks, and I'll be sure to do a write-up for the web site once there is news on that front.