The Pirates spent the winter with a lot of pitching and little hitting. They spent the offseason trying to smooth out the imbalance, and the team should look better in 2026. Is it enough to get them back into the playoffs for the first time in a decade?
Major League Recruitment
2026 spending: $38.75 million
Total Spending: $53.75MM
Transactions and Billing
Deciding on Options
Notable Minor League Contracts
expansion
notable losses
- Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Farm, jack little (exemption), Bae Ji-hwan (exemption), Jose Castillo (exemption), Reover Peguero, Cam Devaney (released and signed in Japan); Colin Holderman (non-bidding), Dowry Moretta (not bid and not yet signed), Alexander Canario (non-bidding and signature within Japan), Johan Oviedo, Mike Burroughs, Chase Shugart, jack sewinski (exemption), Kyle Nicholas
The Bucs have been stuck in a rebuilding pattern for some time. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2015 and haven’t surpassed 82 wins in any season since. They’ve been plagued by controversy in recent seasons, but the expanded playoff era has only meant they’ve hovered around .500 over the summer.
They’ve graduated a number of exciting pitching prospects to the majors in recent years, but have struggled with their hitting. The 2025 team scored 583 points, the lowest in the major leagues. The team’s batting average was .231/.305/.350, which equates to a wRC+ of 82, meaning the team as a whole was 18% worse than league average. The only player on the team with a wRC+ greater than 101 Spencer HorwitzHe started the season on the injured list due to wrist surgery and did most of his damage in the second half, hitting .
Despite the obvious flaws in the roster, there was a strong case for momentum this offseason. Paul Skennes The club only has four years left to run, and it may not all be spent in Pittsburgh. His salary will increase through arbitration in 2027 and he may not sign an extension, so he could be traded before he becomes a free agent, currently scheduled for the 2029-30 offseason. Connor Griffin He has become baseball’s top prospect in 2025 and is in position to make his major league debut in 2026. If we don’t invest around these stars, then when?
The club has historically not been active in the FA. They’ve never given $40 million to a free agent in franchise history. Since Ben Cherington took over as general manager in 2019, he has never signed a free agent to a multi-year deal or signed a one-year deal worth $11 million. But earlier in the offseason, Cherington suggested he could add $30 million to $40 million to his salary. That wouldn’t be very exciting for many clubs, but it would be an increase for the Bucs. There was also a trade market, as there seemed to be enough starters that it seemed possible to flip some for the offense.
Given the weakness of their lineup, the Bucs had the freedom to target just about any bat regardless of position. It soon became clear that Cherington’s words were not entirely empty. Because he went after some of the best available people. In mid-November it was reported that the club had made a strong offer: Josh Naylor Before he re-signed with the Mariners, they also Kyle Schwarber. Signing either would have required breaking the $39MM franchise record for free agent deals. They were also connected to people like Kazuma Okamoto and Jorge Polanco Early in the offseason.
Their first notable move was not intended to solidify the lineup, but as expected, it featured a pitching framework for hitting. There were five players in the deal, but the headline was that the Bucs were sending a right-hander. Johan Oviedo To the Red Sox for outfield prospects jostinson garcia. Oviedo has shown some promise in 2023, posting a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts. He missed 2024 due to surgery, but returned in 2025 to post a 3.57 ERA with more strikeouts and more walks.
Oviedo has two years at the helm of the club and may have some upside, but the Pirates had enough starting pitching talent to be able to part ways with him. In doing so, they added an intriguing but unproven outfielder to the roster. Garcia is listed as a top 100 prospect, but he has played only five big league games. He should have a chance to earn some playing time, but his path will ultimately be congested with Pittsburgh’s remaining offseason moves.
Schwarber’s dream died on Dec. 9 when he returned to the Phils on a five-year, $150 million contract. The Bucs reportedly offered him a four-year contract worth $120 million. That wasn’t enough, but it was actually a sign of some change in your pocket.
The same day the Schwarber news broke, the Bucs made a deal with the reliever. They agreed to a one-year contract. Gregory Soto Its value is $7.75 million. Soto has posted a 4.40 ERA over the last three years, but there are probably more interesting numbers behind that. His 9.4% walk rate was about average for a reliever, and his 25.9% strikeout rate and 48.4% ground ball rate were a few ticks better than par. A .325 in-play batting average and 67.7% strand percentage seemed to hurt him, which is why his 3.55 FIP and 3.55 SIERA were more optimistic. If his ERA trends closer to other metrics, it could be good business for the Pirates.
A little over a week later, the Pirates made their first solid upgrade to their lineup. Like the Oviedo-García swap, this swap also sees the Bucs trading up on rotation depth. In a three-team trade, they sent: Mike Burrows to the Astros for an infielder Brandon Roweoutfielder Jake Mangum and left handed Mason Montgomery In the race. For Burrows, it was a huge price to pay as he still had six years left at the helm of the club. But the Pirates had several of those pitches in their rotation mix and didn’t have room for them all.
The biggest upgrade for 2026 is Rowe, which is only a lease because there is one year left on the contract. However, he is one of the best power bats at the second base position. He has hit 81 home runs over the past five years. Only four primary second basemen have more. The four players ahead of him have all played more games in that period, which speaks to the injury problems that Lowe has had, which have taken their toll on him the most. Although he is not considered a free agent, the Bucs will pick up his contract and pay him $11.5 million this year.
Mangum and Montgomery are more complementary pieces in the deal, but are still potentially impactful. Mangum stole 27 bases in his first year in the big leagues and performed well on his glovework. His bat was slightly below par, but still useful overall. He has five years of club domination and plenty of options to choose from. Even though he’s a 4th outfielder type, he’s valuable. If his bat finds a new gear, so much the better. Montgomery strikes out a lot, but his control is poor. He’s a project, but when things get done right, there’s a positive side to him. He also has five years to manage the club, with options.
The Bucs clearly weren’t content to stop after Lowe. In the future they will be connected to people like Eugenio Suarez and Yoan Moncada. Just before the holidays, they pulled the trigger on a free agent addition, a two-year deal. Ryan O’Hearn Worth 29 million dollars. Although it was a step down from the Schwarber/Naylor pursuit, it was still somewhat notable as the biggest free agent deal of Cherington’s tenure.
O’Hearn isn’t a superstar, but he’s definitely been above average at the plate. Over the past three years, he has hit 46 home runs, a .277/.343/.445 line, and a 121 wRC+. He has some ability as an outfielder, but is more of a first baseman. At first, it looked like he and Horwitz would share the first base and designated hitter spots, but that would change in the coming months.
The Pirates were still looking for more offense as they linked up with various bats throughout January. They also showed some interest. Framber Valdez It seemed odd because he remained unsigned and ended up landing with the Tigers.
They certainly seemed to have room for an arm in the rotation after their recent trade. Jose Urquidi On a one-year contract worth $5 million. The Bucs typically sign cheap left-handed pitchers late in the offseason. PNC Park is very strong against right-handers, so left-handers can usually outperform their contract. Urquidy is a right-hander, but he’s had reverse splits in his career, so he’s basically filling that role.
There was another clear lineup boost going forward with the Pirates signing. Marcel Ozuna He signed a one-year, $12 million contract in February. Ozuna is a bit risky because he is 35 years old and is having a down year by his standards. His season was strained by a summer slump and a hip injury. Maybe he can have a healthy season and bounce back, but at his age that’s not guaranteed.
Aside from the danger, the lineup has also expanded slightly. Ozuna is only a designated hitter at this point in his career. He didn’t see the field at all in 2024 or 2025 and was an outfielder for just 14 innings in 2023. If he’s mostly at the designated hitter spot, with Rowe second and Horwitz first, that means O’Hearn will have to be in the outfield almost every day. He’s never started more than 23 games on grass in any season in his career, so it’ll be something new for him, but the Bucs appear willing to make that compromise as they try to add as much shock as possible to the lineup.
Aside from replacing O’Hearn, there are other ramifications. with Brian Reynolds and oneil cruise The other two outfield spots could see players like García and Mangum relegated to a fourth outfield role or perhaps even a minor role. The possibility of meeting again was effectively blocked. Andrew McCutchen. He seemed frustrated with the situation, but eventually moved on and signed a minor league contract with the Rangers.
The Bucs added one more player to their depth picture via a spring trade. they sent a savior Kyle Nicholas to the Reds in an infielder/outfielder swap. Tyler Callihan. Nicholas is almost like a right-handed version of Montgomery, with big stuff but less control. This could sting if he puts it together in Cincinnati, but that may not happen. Callihan has only four big league games under his belt, but his minor league performance is strong. He provided depth at several positions, as he played first base, second base and left field last year.
It’s been a busy offseason, and there seems to be more optimism surrounding the Pirates than it has in quite some time. Combined, the money from free agency and the Lowe deal added about $50 million to the 2026 payroll.
Despite trading multiple weapons, it is expected that they will have a rotation that includes Skenes. Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, bubba chandler And Urquidi. Jared Jones I will probably return from surgery rehabilitation as early as the end of May. view thomas harrington and Hunter Barco He’ll be hiding in Triple A.
The lineup needs incumbents like Reynolds and Cruz, but the Bucs added three one-day upgrades in Lowe, O’Hearn and Ozuna. People like Garcia, Mangum and Callihan will likely find jobs over time. The left side of the infield feels like a weak spot, but Griffin could play shortstop at some point, possibly on Opening Day. I think people will like it then Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzalez And others are fighting for third base.
Will this be enough to get over the hurdle? The National League Central is looking pretty healthy. The Cardinals are rebuilding, but the Brewers, Cubs and Reds all made the playoffs last year. Have the Pirates added enough to leapfrog anyone?
How do you evaluate the Pirates’ offseason?
Photo credit: Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images
