Paul Skenes was standing in front of his locker stall at LECOM Park after making his fourth start of the spring when he was asked a simple question that could encapsulate how the Pirates plan to approach the 2025 season.

"What are your thoughts about the expectations for the team this year?"

Skenes paused a moment before firing off an answer that showed where the Pirates' mindset stands heading into their season opener against the Marlins today at loanDepot Park in Miami.

"Within the locker room, we know who we are. We know our identity," Skenes said with the poise of a seasoned veteran despite being on the cusp of entering his first full season as a major leaguer. "I can't tell you about the expectations outside the locker room, but none of that matters. I think we've done a really good job of getting on it early, just keeping everything within the locker room and kinda just letting all the outside stuff be outside stuff."

After a less than active offseason, the Pirates arrived in mid-February at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., with holes to fill in their lineup and plenty of questions to answer. Who was going to play first? Was there going to be another outside addition to address one of the corner spots in the outfield? Was the bullpen going to bounce back after a tumultuous season in 2024? How could the front office not address these needs while having a generational star like Skenes in their employ? 

Despite all of those questions and a lack of answers early on, the players in the clubhouse haven't been worried. They've simply been focused on the guys that they take the field with every day. That's been the message this spring. In fact, it's been the message ever since PiratesFest at the end of January.

"We have, in my opinion, figured out our identity and gotten into our identity a lot earlier than we did last year," Skenes said. "We were playing good baseball at times last year, but we weren't at other times. The times that we weren't, we kinda let it spiral. That's why we missed the playoffs. That's why we weren't in it at the end of the year. We gotta control what we can control every single day and let everything play out. Nothing in the world matters outside this locker room." 

At just 22 years old, Skenes has garnered control of the clubhouse this off-season because when a player of his stature and ability speaks, players listen. But he hasn't been alone, as the Pirates have filled the roster with others who can help relay that message. 

While Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds aren't vocal leaders, they lead by example with how they prepare each day. Then, while some may have criticized the moves, and still do, Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier, who are two veterans that have been a part of winning clubhouses, have had an impact.

"They bring presence. Understanding that it's time, the window is now. There's no next year or the year after. It's now," Isiah Kiner-Falefa said. "I think finally going into a year like that, it's exciting. We're going out there and we're trying to win ball games. It's not trying to go out there and get better. No, we're trying to win ball games."

That's something that the Pirates haven't done consistently in a long time. The organization hasn't had a winning season since going 82-79 in 2018. But this team is out to change that, and the players have taken the lead. 

They've emphasized coming together and holding each other accountable this spring. It started with building a culture through big team activities or small get-togethers like playing cards or golfing on an off day, and it ends with having each other's backs both on the field and off of it.

"It’s something we talked about in our first meeting," Derek Shelton said. "A lot of it was like, look at the guy to the right, look at the guy to left, you have to figure out a way to support that person every single day. Regardless of what happens outside this room or what is said outside this room, these are the people in this room that we are going to play with every day and that’s the mindset we need to have."

On the eve of their 144th season opener, this team is as tight as one can be and with the right mindset in place, spring results have painted a picture of what could translate into the regular season. Jack Suwinski has showcased his candidacy for a bounce-back season by refining his approach and being both aggressive and patient in the batter's box. The bullpen seems poised for a breakout year after a strong showing during Grapefruit League play and Ke'Bryan Hayes could be a key piece to this lineup after entering the spring feeling the best he's felt since suffering from a chronic back injury.

However, results in the regular season are what matter most and saying things and doing them are different. The players understand that. They know they've come up short in the past and have let things get out of control. It's what ultimately led to the creation of their "identity" this offseason. Now, they simply want to control what they can control, win in the margins and produce when it matters most.

"You can say all you want, but at the end of the day, we've got to go out and change it ourselves with our play," Kiner-Falefa said. "We're not really focused on the outside noise. We're just focusing on winning ball games and reaching that next level, and I think everyone in this clubhouse is ready to do that. So we're excited about the opportunity to put some light with this organization."