Bucs still playing for October while building for 2017

PITTSBURGH — Johnny Rodriguez has been reminding his son a lot lately where he was five years ago.

Sean Rodriguez was playing for the Rays, who began the season’s final month nine games out of a playoff spot and stormed back to capture the American League Wild Card. That same September, David Freese’s Cardinals made a similarly dramatic comeback and rode it all the way to the World Series.

“[My dad] says, ‘Why not?'” Rodriguez said. “I say, ‘I believe, I definitely believe. Why not?'”

That “why not?” mentality fits the Pirates as they enter the final two weeks of the season. They do not have a realistic chance to make the postseason for the fourth straight year. Their playoff odds, as calculated by FanGraphs, had fallen from 31.4 percent on Aug. 28 to 0.3 percent on Monday.

But they are not yet ready to change course on the remainder of this year for two reasons: First, they won’t say they’re out until they are officially declared to be so. And second, elimination will not dramatically alter their plans, anyway.

“We’re balancing that while it feels improbable, it is still possible,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “We may need some help from some other clubs, but we’re still balancing that with each …

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