Pirates walk the plank

The Pirates will once again finish at the bottom of the NL Central, this time with a 71-91 record. Throughout the long season, there were ups and downs, but the Pirates are far, far away from playoff contention for 2026. We’ll look at those ups and downs along with the offseason outlook to show how screwed the Pirates are with the duo of owner Bob Nutting and general manager Ben Cherrington. 

Positives from this season

Star pitcher Paul Skenes finished with a 10-10 record and a 1.96 earned run average, which cements his under-two ERA for a second consecutive season. He stands with some of the greats, including Greg Maddux, Sandy Koufax and Grover Cleveland Alexander. 

Another positive for me is the Pirates trading away Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates also pushed Gold Glover Jared Triolo into the starting job at third and gave Liover Peguero a shot at some platoon play.
Another positive is the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin. Griffin won the 2025 MiLB player of the year award, averaging .333 with 21 home runs in 122 games. 

My final positive is the Pirates’ new manager, Don Kelly, having a 59-65 record, which gives the Pirates a real manager for the 2026 Season. 

Negatives from the season

One of the most disappointing players for the Pirates in 2025 was Oneil Cruz. Cruz will finish the season with a .200 batting average, which is one of the worst in the MLB. If I were the Pirates, I would tiptoe through arbitration and get him for cheap, because he sure can’t use stats to demand a high-paying salary. 

Another negative for me was the fact that Tommy Pham was one of the best hitters on the Pirates this season. Pham, who is 37, is at the end of his career and should not look like one of your best hitters. The Pirates should want that production out of some of these younger players, like Peguero or Henry Davis. 

Davis is another negative for the Pirates’ season as he only hit .160 in 244 at-bats. The Pirates were 39-35 with Davis behind the dish, so you really hope he can figure out hitting and figure it out fast because the impact behind the plate is astronomical. 

This leads into another down of this season, which is the disappearance of Endy Rodríguez. He just can’t stay healthy, and it’s hard to see where he can fit in the future. You have to hope that he can battle with Davis this offseason or even move to first again because it just feels like a waste for him not to play for the Pirates. 

Off-season outlook

The Pirates will be sitting this October out but will be having a busy offseason with a long list of players needing a contract.  Numerous players are going through arbitration or need a new contract. The future stands within these decisions because most of the players are bringing in fans. 

The list includes these 13 players — Oneil Cruz, Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Dennis Santana, Nick Gonzales, Spencer Horwitz, Jared Triolo, Tommy Pham, Andrew McCutchen, Joey Bart, Endy Rodríguez, Colin Holderman and Jack Suwinski. 

If I am general manager Ben Cherrington, I’m not signing half of these guys back. I would keep Cruz, Skenes, Jones, Santana, Gonzales, Triolo, Bart and Rodriguez, because the rest are below-average players.

Is next year the year to make it back to the playoffs?

This offseason will truly prove owner Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington’s intentions and show us if they actually want to win. Ticket sales were at an all-time low as the Pirates dropped to 25th in league attendance, so I’m sure their whole front office heard the frustration.

But year in and year out, we hear the same story that they truly want to win. But at the end of the day, they never put their money where their mouth is. I don’t see it happening, but with an abundance of talent in this year’s upcoming free agency, the Pirates will look to add another star to a team that is a few bats away from playing in October. 

What the Pirates should do

The Pirates need to add another corner outfielder and an infielder to replace the list of numerous departing players. Some early hopes I have for the Pirates this offseason are looking into Max Kepler, who had a smaller role in a stacked Phillies lineup.
Another hope I have for the Pirates is signing the aging Starling Marte. Marte is playing his best baseball since his All-Star campaign in 2022, so it’s hard to believe he will leave the New York Mets, but it’s someone the Pirates should look into bringing back to Pittsburgh. 

However, we are talking about the Pirates, so I think a more realistic option is bringing back Pham. In 2025, Pham was one of the best hitters, and retaining him for under five million dollars will have the Pirates front office foaming at the mouth. An infielder option for the Pirates is waiver signee Rony Simon. He batted .234 in 77 at-bats. Simon can play second, short and the corner outfield positions, making him a cheap usable option for the Pirates.