ST. LOUIS -- The tone of the players in the clubhouse Wednesday was one of reluctant appreciation. They understood how much they had accomplished this season and how far they had traveled, yet their success had shifted the paradigm and left them yearning for more.

"We’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like," Pedro Alvarez said. "Frustrating to go home. It’s just like we can’t dwell on a loss during the season, we got to do the same thing. We go home, soak it in, take it all in, reflect on it and get ready for next year."

The Pirates' season -- the first one since 1992 in which they did several things, namely finish above .500 and make the playoffs -- ended Wednesday with a loss to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS.

"It’s been a good year all around," Clint Barmes said. "This group pulled together and we moved in the same direction all season long. There’s a lot of guys in this clubhouse that battled a lot of stuff, a lot of adversity, throughout the season. Nobody really went astray and went their own way. For the most part, every guy in here was trying to pick each other up and that’s what good teams do."

Gerrit Cole did all he could in Game 5 duty. He hung one slider to David Freese and Freese took advantage. The late-inning bullpen tire fire did not change the fact that the lineup could not effectively solve Adam Wainwright, who pitched a complete game and looked comfortable doing so.

"They were pretty clear what their strategy was going to be," Wainwright said. "They weren't going to swing at any curveballs. That's what I kept hearing. That's OK, I can throw it for strikes."

Wainwright and Michael Wacha acted as bouncers, barring the Pirates from the NLCS. They allowed two runs in the final 18 innings of the series. Alvarez did his best, but Starling Marte and Neil Walker went a combined 1 for 38 in the series.

Now the Pirates head into their offseason, and we are left with several questions. What happens to free agents A.J. Burnett, Marlon Byrd, Justin Morneau, Clint Barmes and John Buck? When and at what level does Wandy Rodriguez return? Do the Pirates tender a contract to Garrett Jones or Travis Snider? What becomes of Alvarez when he opts out of his option and goes to arbitration?

We've got Jameson Taillon to track in the Arizona Fall League, along with Alen Hanson and Alex Dickerson. Once the World Series is over, free agency will heat up. We've also got 40-man roster deadlines to deal with. 

This blog will be active through all of it, not at the same level as during the season but on a frequent basis. Thank you all for making this blog what it is, and for following along with us during the season. We appreciate your dedication and feedback.

We'll have our regular offseason coverage on the blog, such as the arbitration-eligible series and the free agent primers, along with news as it comes.

Check out our coverage of Game 5.

Coverage of the Cardinals with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

First Published: March 24, 2016, 5:11 p.m.