How the Pittsburgh Pirates Improved During the Offseason and Why 2026 Could Be Different
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the definition of a bottom-tier franchise in Major League Baseball in the last decade. They haven’t made the postseason since 2015, when they lost in the NL Wild Card to the Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh also hasn’t had a winning record since 2018, when they went 82-79. The Pirates are coming off an unfortunate last-place finish in the NL Central when they finished the season with a 71-91 record, which was 26 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first in the division. Pirates fans haven’t had much to cheer about in recent seasons, and fans' high level of frustration with ownership is clear.
There has already been speculation of the team potentially trading their young ace, Paul Skenes. However, this offseason could be a sign of a turning point for the organization. Ownership did something they aren’t very well known for, which is spending money. On the free agent market, Pittsburgh went out and signed highly coveted free agent first baseman Ryan O’Hearn to a multi-year contract and also brought in three-time all-star designated hitter Marcell Ozuna on a one-year contract. They also further bolstered the lineup by acquiring two-time all-star second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays. They will be taking on his entire $11.5 million salary he’s owed this season. The main concern the Pirates needed to address for next season was adding to the offense. However, they still brought in a pair of pitchers on major league contracts: left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to bolster the bullpen and right-handed starting pitcher Jose Urquidy as rotation depth. The Pirates also acquired left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery as an additional piece in the Lowe trade.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been one of the worst in the game in recent seasons. Especially last year, when they ranked dead last in all of baseball with just 3.6 runs per game. They have also been towards the bottom in other recent years, finishing 24th in runs per game in 2024 and 22nd in runs per game in 2023. It was clear to everyone involved in the Pirates organization that adding to the lineup was a necessity. The club began its offseason spending spree by bringing in former San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles first baseman O’Hearn. His two-year, $29 million deal was the largest free agent contract that the Pirates had handed out since December of 2014. O’Hearn will presumably take over first base duties for Pittsburgh. He was a solid defender there last season with plus five outs above average. The bat is the main reason why O’Hearn had so many suitors on the free agent market, though. The 2025 all-star slashed .281/.366/.437 and hit 17 homers on the season.
Adding power to the lineup was clearly the focus of general manager Ben Cherington’s offseason plans. Potentially, their most impactful offseason move was via the trade route. They completed a three-team deal with the Houston Astros and Rays, where they received Lowe as the headliner while shipping off right-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows to Houston on their side of the deal. Lowe has been a perennial home run threat among MLB second basemen. His 134 home runs since the start of the 2020 season rank second amongst all second basemen, behind only Marcus Semien. Lowe finished the 2025 season with a 116 OPS+, and his 31 homers were the most he’d hit since 2021. This led to him being selected for his second MLB All-Star Game.
The additions of O’Hearn and Lowe weren’t the only ones in Pittsburgh’s quest to finally improve their lineup. They also brought in known slugger Ozuna on a one-year $12 million contract. The 35-year-old had been a crucial part of the Braves' lineup in the six seasons he spent there. During his time in Atlanta, he won a Silver Slugger Award and finished top ten in MVP voting twice. Ozuna’s 2024 season was a career year for him, hitting 39 home runs and finishing with a 154 OPS+. The 13-year MLB veteran did have a slightly down year in 2025 compared to previous seasons. Offensively, he was still above average with a 114 OPS+; however, the power numbers dropped. Ozuna’s 21 home runs were the fewest he’d hit in a full season since 2015. His slugging percentage also took a massive hit, going from .546 in 2024 down to .400 in 2025. The Pirates will be hoping for a bounce-back season in the power department. The 11.4 percent barrel rate he had last season shows that the pop is still there; this was in the 70th percentile amongst MLB hitters.
The pitching staff was not the issue for the Pirates last season. Their starting rotation was headlined by the eventual NL Cy Young Award winner in Skenes. The 23-year-old had an outstanding sophomore season, making 32 starts and pitching to a 1.97 ERA while striking out 216. The Pirates also got solid contributions from seven-year MLB veteran Mitch Keller, who pitched to a 4.19 ERA and was second on the team with 176.1 innings. Young right-handers Braxton Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski also were impressive, pitching out of the bullpen and the rotation. Mlodzinski logged 99.1 innings with a 3.55 ERA, and Ashcraft pitched to a 2.71 ERA in 69.2 innings. Pittsburgh surprisingly had one of the better pitching staffs in the league last season, as its team ERA of 3.76 ranked seventh in all of baseball.
Pittsburgh’s pitching staff was still this good despite missing 24-year-old righthander Jared Jones for the entirety of the season due to him undergoing Tommy John surgery. Jones had an impressive rookie campaign in 2024, making 22 starts and pitching to a 4.14 ERA with an impressive 9.8 K/9. Jones is targeting a May return next season. Another young pitcher that Pirates fans are eager to see in 2026 is their current top pitching prospect, Bubba Chandler. The 23-year-old had a brief stint in the majors at the end of last season. In 31.1 innings, he had a 4.02 ERA with a 9.0 K/9. Chandler is a pitcher who features a rare combination of elite fastball velocity along with an elite ability to keep the ball in the strike zone. His fastball averaged 98.9 mph last year, which put him in the 98th percentile among MLB pitchers. The 14th overall prospect also had a walk rate of just 3.3% last season, which put him in the 97th percentile. Chandler is a strong candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2026.
It’s an exciting time for the Pirates and perhaps the start of a new era for the organization. Their fans have had to endure nothing but pain and suffering throughout the last decade. However, ownership finally decided to open up their checkbooks, which allowed the front office to make much-needed offensive additions. Pittsburgh’s lineup will now finally feature some power, as they made three significant additions in O’Hearn, Ozuna, and Lowe. These reinforcements could be coming at the perfect time, as the Pirates are finally starting to see their pitching pipeline make an impact at the big league level. Next season, their starting staff will again be headlined by Skenes, who is obviously as elite as they come. Skenes will likely be followed by former all-star Keller, along with several highly touted young arms in Jones, Chandler, and Ashcraft. If everything comes together for the Pirates in 2026, they could be looking at their first postseason appearance in a decade.
