If Paul Skenes believes, I believe // Zach Scabilloni, Staff Writer
It’s that time of year again. Spring training is starting, and belief is brewing among Pirates fans. This is an annual tradition in Pittsburgh — high hopes going into the season only to get those hopes squashed immediately, let alone by the time All-Star weekend rolls around.
Last year, the Pirates finished with a 71-91 record — last in the National League Central Division and 27th out of 30 teams. At face value, this record does not represent a team with serious playoff hopes, and it doesn’t inspire confidence that it can bounce back in just one season. However, the Pirates made some notable moves this offseason, and they appear to have real intentions this year. Could we see Buctober at PNC Park?
To anyone who watches baseball, it was clear as day how much the Pirates struggled offensively last year. Bryan Reynolds led in batting average and RBIs with .245 and 73, respectively. The home run leader for the Pirates was Oneil Cruz, finishing with 20 on the season. The team’s best OPS belonged to Spencer Horowitz at .787. Altogether, the Pirates had an OPS of .655 and scored an average of 3.6 runs per game, both last in the MLB.
The Pirates went 25-35 in one-score games last year, primarily due to their inability to score runs when it mattered the most. Suppose the Pirates had just flipped that record and gone 35-25, they would have ended their season 81-81. To put this into perspective, the last spot in the wildcard was clinched by the Cincinnati Reds, who finished with a record of 82-78. So, had the Pirates won just 10 of those one-score games that they lost, they would have been one game away from the playoffs.
While this remains a hypothetical, the numbers suggest it is plausible. The Pirates have a very solid pitching staff led by 2025 Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. Behind him are Mitch Keller and Jared Jones, then most likely Bubba Chandler, who hasn’t proven it yet, but has a star-level upside. While the pitching staff is strong, to win games runs have to be scored. Skenes had an MLB-best era of 1.97 while posting a record of just 10-10. Two of those losses were 1-0.
To help with these offensive struggles this offseason, the Pirates added key additions — Ryan O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum.
Last year, Ohearn posted an OPS of .803 and a batting average of .281, which would have been the best among Pirates hitters. Along with that, he had 17 home runs and 63 RBI’s. To accompany him, the Pirates also signed free agent Ozuna on a one-year deal to bring some veteran power to the lineup. Ozuna, who was battling injuries last year, notably finished the season with an OPS of .755 and 21 home runs.
In addition, the Pirates acquired left-handed hitter Brandon Lowe, who had a great season in 2025. He finished with an OPS of .785, 31 home runs and 83 RBI, which would have led the Pirates in every category. The final signing worth mentioning is Jake Mangum, who provides outfield depth as well as a high-contact bat. Mangum had a legitimate rookie season in 2025 and finished with a batting average of .296 going along with 40 RBI’s.
It’s clear the Pirates went out and added some much-needed talent at the plate, and with the expected emergence of Konnor Griffin at some point during the season, the Pirates could be playoff-caliber.
While the Pirates’ season has not ended the way fans had hoped over the past few years, it seems the organization is finally putting together a serious lineup that can compete in September and hopefully October. The Pirates making the playoffs does not require MVP offense, star free agents or unrealistic luck. All it takes is a few more hits with runners on and some timely sac flies.
This may seem crazy to anyone who doesn’t live in the city, but Pittsburgh truly does love its baseball team, and the atmosphere in PNC Park during October is unmatched. The Pirates’ most recent playoff appearance was in 2015, and their last playoff win was in 2013. A little more than 10 years later, here we are after an offseason that was centered around adding offensive weapons to support the pitching that carried them in 2025. That includes generational ace Paul Skenes, who has made his commitment to winning in Pittsburgh clear — and if Paul Skenes believes, I believe.
Ben Cherington believes, so I don’t believe // Austin Lenhardt-Barley, Staff Writer
The Pittsburgh Pirates finished last season at the bottom of the NL Central at a disappointing record of 71-91. The Pirates struggled getting runs across the plate because of the lack of power in their lineup.
General manager Ben Cherington had attempted to address that with the addition of a few bats this offseason. There is a lot of buzz, and even the MLB has the Pirates at a 43% chance to make the playoffs. I’ll go with that 57% chance of missing again with the same old story repeating itself. If Cherington has confidence in this team, I have confidence that the Pirates will have another year of disappointment.
Now, the Pirates have gotten some power and offense added to the lineup, but this will impact the defense heavily. Every single player added to the roster, except Magnum, has struggled defensively in their career. The team already has some of the worst fielders by metrics.
Cruz had the most errors as a center fielder last season, leading with 11. Cruz, paired with Reynolds and O’Hearn, is destined to cost you some runs from the outfield. The right side of the infield, including first baseman Spencer Horowitz and second baseman Lowe are both average at defense as well.
Lowe had a -14 defensive runs saved, which is one of the worst as a second baseman. This means that he is costing 11 runs a year by himself due to his defense. Shortstop Nick Gonzales is high on this list, too, with a -12, and Cruz has -14.
With the team already struggling defensively, these additions will fuel the fire and cause other problems for the Pirates. They might be able to score, but how many runs will this defense cost them?
The Pirates had some historical upgrades, but there are still some position groups that could use an upgrade. The biggest hole is third baseman Jared Triolo, who hit .227 last season. He may have elite defense, but is a utility guy at best, which is someone who is normally in a platoon position, not a starting spot.
Another hole is Gonzales, who was taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has little to no power and struggled to stay healthy last season. Now he will be tasked with playing a full season at shortstop. He is not developing fast enough and is a fringe starter in the MLB.
Left field is another hole in the lineup, no matter who you play. The options are Reynolds, Magnum, Nick Yorke and Ozuna. Magnum and Yorke have limited experience in the majors, which is not appealing. Ozuna hasn’t played in the field since 2023, so that’s an experiment unlikely to succeed.
The largest name here is Reynolds, and Pirates fans might wonder why I would worry. Reynolds regressed heavily last season with a drop in his average and a career high of 173 strikeouts. Pitching is only getting better in the MLB, and B-Rey is only getting older. I don’t see him returning to his All-Star form, which would be needed to take the Pirates to the wildcard.
I think the Pirates will finish .500 or better this season, with an exact record prediction of 81-81 or 83-79. The Bucs will earn a few more wins than last season but the losses will come for different reasons. The Cubs, Reds and Brewers all improved this offseason, setting up a harsh schedule in a division that I don’t see the Pirates competing with.