The Pirates clearly entered the 2025-26 offseason with ambitious goals. They've spoken in the past about wanting to lure more free agents and make impact additions in the lineup, but both comments from Pittsburgh brass and the reporting surrounding their early offseason endeavors struck a different tenor. The Pirates' reported willingness to offer Josh Naylor in the vicinity of $80MM was a genuine surprise, given the lack of spending to which we've become accustomed from owner Bob Nutting. The reported $120-125MM offer to Kyle Schwarber -- which would've been the largest deal in franchise history -- was even more of an eye-opener.
Ultimately, finishing second-, third- or fourth-place on a pair of notable free agents has the same end result as sitting out the bidding entirely, but it was nevertheless notable that the Bucs came out swinging. It appeared to set the stage for a more aggressive offseason than usual, and to an extent, we've seen that. Ryan O'Hearn's two-year, $29MM contract isn't a major price to pay for most clubs, but it was the first multiyear free-agent deal given out by Pittsburgh since 2016. Acquiring Brandon Lowe, similarly, wasn't necessarily a blockbuster move in and of itself, but it's a higher-profile trade target than we typically see from the Bucs. Their trade of Johan Oviedo to the Red Sox netted them a fairly touted young outfielder, Jhostynxon Garcia, who could be in the majors early in 2026.
The additions of Lowe and O'Hearn add a pair of clearly above-average bats to Pittsburgh's lineup. They'll join Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz atop the lineup. Horwitz was last year's primary offensive acquisition, and while his contributions were muted by a spring wrist procedure and a slow start upon activation in June, by the end of the season he looked the part of a quietly excellent pickup. Horwitz hit .272/.353/.434 overall, but that includes a dismal start to his season. Over his final 298 trips to the plate, he slashed .290/.372/.481 with nearly as many walks (11.4%) as strikeouts (15.1%). From late July through season's end (219 PAs), he slashed .314/.402/.539 with a 12.3% walk rate and 13.7% strikeout rate.
The quintet of Horwitz, O'Hearn, Lowe, Reynolds and Cruz has the makings of a solid top half of the lineup -- particularly if Reynolds can set aside last year's awful first half. Through the All-Star break, the Pirates' star outfielder was hitting just .225/.287/.369 (80 wRC+). Following the Midsummer Classic, he turned in a .276/.364/.453 line (128 wRC+) that's more akin to expectations for the 30-year-old former All-Star (who'll turn 31 later this month).
Add in the looming debut of Konnor Griffin, the top-ranked prospect in all of baseball, and you can start to see why Pirates fans are showing some cautious optimism. Griffin may only be 19 years old, but he skyrocketed from Low-A to High-A to Double-A in his debut season last year, posting an outrageous .333/.415/.527 line with 21 home runs and 65 steals despite being one of the youngest -- if not the youngest -- player at each of those minor league stops. The No. 9 overall pick from 2024 could make his MLB debut this coming season, and there's been speculation about him having a real chance to crack the Opening Day roster. There's a lot to dream on for Bucs fans, but the Pirates still feel like they're one bat short.
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The bat rack.
If they want to lure free agents, offer the most money. Theyre holding the ultimate coupon in Skenes; any contract they hand out this offseason can simply be packaged with Skenes when he’s ultimately traded
Trade for Santander. Bet Jays will pay 50%
His salary is only 13.5 and a lot is deferred. They won’t have to pay anything.
That would be a big mistake for the Pirates. He’s 31 and has already peaked. He’s only hit 3 War once, and that was a 3.0. He had three defent seasons in his late 20’s, got paid, and there’s no upside left here.
decent
Small correction: It reads “With the Pirates spending big on Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto, Cody Ponce and perhaps even Kyle Tucker”.
Should read the Blue Jays.
Lenyn Sosa + Luis Robert (improve the defense in CF as well) + $10M for Comp pick + package of 2-3 guys outside of top 10
Perhaps Rangers and Pirates could line up on a Jung for Barco trade.
Nick Yorke
Are the Pirates contending this year? Where did you get all that money?
Dodgers send Teo for a guaranteed Skenes start at Chavez Ravine every year he’s a Pirate.
Red Sox fan here. If they’d take on a bit of $, Masataka Yoshida would look great in black and yellow😌
CJ Abrams for Seth Hernandez and Harrington plus some salary relief on a bad Nats contract.
I doubt the Pirates are going to spend any big bucks. They could go get Hoskins or Goldschmidt to play 1B. Ozuna and Marte are still out there but Ozuna is strictly a DH at this point. Harrington in a package may get them a solid bat back, if he isn’t in the future plans.