This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

As the calendar turns to February, Spring Training is finally right around the corner. Bradenton baseball is almost here, and the Pirates will be playing Grapefruit League games this month.

While the Pirates have a good idea of what most of their team is going to look like when they head southeast to Miami for their Opening Day series against the Marlins, there are a handful of jobs that are going to be up for grabs in camp, including these three.

Catcher

The most public competition, the Pirates have four options on the 40-man roster: Joey Bart, Henry Davis, Endy Rodr¨ªguez and Jason Delay. Of that group, Bart is the only one who seems like a lock for an Opening Day spot. He is coming off a solid season (13 home runs and a .799 OPS in 80 games played) and is the only one of the group that can¡¯t be optioned to the Minors. He¡¯s a no-brainer to keep, but is he going to be the outright starter or splitting time with someone else?

After that, it looks like a real competition. Rodr¨ªguez is coming back from elbow surgery and said during PiratesFest that it feels ¡°like a baby.¡± Don¡¯t be surprised if he needs some time to get back to game speed, but he feels ready to go.

¡°The swing right now feels 100%,¡± Rodr¨ªguez said. ¡°Back home, in my offseason preparation, it¡¯s been good. The swing is correct.¡±

All eyes will be on Davis¡¯ swing too. This is going to be a pivotal year for him to prove he can hit Major League pitching after struggling in 2024.

If neither Davis or Rodr¨ªguez look ready for the Majors, it¡¯s not out of the question that Delay could earn his third straight Opening Day spot.

Right field

For clarity¡¯s sake, corner outfield has been on the Pirates¡¯ shopping list all offseason, and the Pirates have signed several free agents at the 11th hour in recent years. Jarrod Dyson signed early in camp in 2020, as did Daniel Vogelbach in 2022. Yasmani Grandal signed just before camp last year, and Michael A. Taylor inked his deal in March.

There could still be another signing or trade incoming. If it does, consider this a look for a fourth outfielder.

The Pirates acquired Nick Yorke and Billy Cook at last year¡¯s Trade Deadline. Yorke has the higher pedigree -- the first Pirate off Pipeline's Top 100 prospect list -- but is a second baseman by trade and may not be able to be an everyday outfielder defensively. Cook showed some strong glove skills (six defensive runs saved) and ran into three homers last September, but he¡¯s also far from a proven big leaguer.

Joshua Palacios battled illness and injuries in 2024 but ended up having a good year at Triple-A Indianapolis. Jack Suwinski homered 26 times in 2023 but struggled in 2024. Non-roster invite Bryce Johnson had a solid half season in Triple-A for the Padres (20 stolen bases and a .407 OBP), and Nick Solak will also be fighting for a roster spot this spring. There¡¯s no clear answer here, but perhaps there could be an effective platoon.

Bullpen

David Bednar, Dennis Santana and Colin Holderman will be there, but those are probably the only names you can definitely write in ink when making out an Opening Day roster. The Pirates will explore stretching out Caleb Ferguson as a starter and pitchers like Kyle Nicolas and Carmen Mlodzinski are going to be major parts of this bullpen, but both young pitchers have Minor League options that could be used this year.

Ryan Borucki is back on a non-guaranteed deal, looking to prove he¡¯s back to 2023 form. Tim Mayza has a Major League deal, but his $1.15 million salary could be easily absorbed if he doesn¡¯t look good in Spring Training. Brett de Geus, Peter Strzelecki, Joey Wentz and Chase Shugart have all been added to the roster in recent months. Veterans like Carson Fulmer, Tanner Rainey and Yohan Ramirez are on prove-it non-roster deals. Does a prospect like Mike Burrows get a look as a reliever?

There are going to be at least two and perhaps as many as five jobs up for grabs, and that¡¯s assuming everyone is healthy. Strzelecki may have put it best when asked during PiratesFest if the team has discussed what his role may be.

"Not really, they just told me there's going to be opportunity,¡± Strzelecki answered.