2025 season: Eliminated Sept. 15
With Pittsburgh eliminated from the 2025 postseason, let’s take a look at the season that was for the Pirates, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for next year.
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Read more: What’s next for the Rockies? | The White Sox? | The Nationals? | The Twins?
Things that went right
The Pirates’ success this season can be summed up in two words: Paul Skenes.
The sophomore ace can make an excellent case for being the best pitcher in baseball, as he could finish his first two big-league seasons with an ERA under 2.00. Skenes seemingly does everything well, dominating hitters on both sides of the plate, striking out batters by the truckload and rarely surrendering walks or home runs. He is the front-runner to take home the NL Cy Young Award and already seems well on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
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Of course, Skenes can pitch in only about 20% of the team’s games, so thankfully, he was supported in the rotation by Mitch Keller, who slumped during August but was otherwise effective. They were also joined in late August by Bubba Chandler, who put his elite skill set on full display while appearing mostly as a bulk reliever. The Pirates should finish with a team ERA that’s top-10 in baseball.
The bullpen was roughly average overall, but the Pirates received excellent performances from their two most important relievers, David Bednar and Dennis Santana. Bednar struggled early and spent part of April in the minors but was excellent upon returning and gave the organization a valuable trade chip at the deadline. Santana was an elite setup man until August and then moved into the closer’s role.
Things that went wrong
Offense continues to be a major problem for the Pirates, who might finish this season last in MLB in runs scored. As of Sept. 16, there was not a single player with 100 at-bats and an OPS over .750.
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Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, expected to anchor the team’s lineup, massively disappointed. Cruz delivered some dazzling moments, thanks to his elite speed and hard-contact rates, but he continues to strike out too often and is no better than a league-average hitter. Reynolds’ struggles were a bigger surprise, as he was reliable and effective the previous four seasons. He seemed to go for broke at the plate this year, with his strikeout rate and average exit velocity both increasing. Unfortunately, results didn’t follow. The veteran finally started to turn things around in August, but that came long after the team had given up on the season.
One could certainly argue that the Pirates got what they paid for with the remainder of their lineup, as a group of unproven youngsters and low-upside veterans formed an unproductive group. Nick Gonzales didn’t take a step forward. Tommy Pham and Isiah Kiner-Falefa made little impact. Ke’Bryan Hayes had another unremarkable season before being traded to Cincinnati. Joey Bart couldn’t follow up his breakout 2024 campaign. Offseason acquisition Spencer Horwitz opened the season on the IL and scuffled for a long time before having some good games in the second half.
On the pitching side, Jared Jones was the biggest thing that went wrong. He was expected to be Skenes’ sidekick but instead was felled in spring training by an elbow injury that required internal brace surgery. He could return to the mound early in 2026.
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Offseason outlook
The Pirates have a few uninspiring infield options for 2026. Bart and Henry Davis will return behind the plate, but they’re both coming off lackluster seasons. Davis’ lack of production is especially concerning given that he was the No. 1 pick in 2021. Horwitz will hopefully enjoy a healthy start to next season and become the on-base machine at first that the team envisioned when trading for him. Gonzales will get another year at second, given that he’s a former first-round pick who had a respectable showing this year. The left side of the diamond is wide open, though Jared Triolo improved his play late in the season and will receive consideration at shortstop or third base. And unless Andrew McCutchen returns for his age-39 season, the team will need a new DH.
The outfield situation is slightly better, with Cruz and Reynolds secure in center and right field, respectively. The team grabbed Pham on an inexpensive, one-year deal in February and might look to fill left field in a similar way next year. Jack Suwinski looked like an outfield contributor when he homered 26 times in 2023, but he has made virtually no impact the past two seasons.
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The rotation will surely be the Pirates’ strength against next year, with Skenes and Keller leading the way and Chandler giving the group a boost. Mike Burrows showed enough promise this season to grab an Opening Day rotation spot as well. Jones will be a major asset if he can return on time, but expecting that to happen might be overly optimistic. Johan Oviedo finally returned down the stretch from multiple long-term absences, which put him in play for a 2026 rotation spot. Another option is Braxton Ashcraft, who showed well this year as a reliever before moving to the rotation down the stretch.
With Santana under contract, the bullpen has an anchor for 2026. Losing Bednar and Caleb Ferguson at the trade deadline had an impact on this group, but there are still options in the forms of Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski and Chase Shugart. Given the holes in the lineup, any free-agent spending from this frugal organization is unlikely to go to the relief corps.
Prospects on the horizon
In Konnor Griffin and Chandler, the Pirates might have the best position-player and pitcher prospects in baseball. Griffin destroyed the low minors this year and has everything teams look for in a prospect: improving power, outstanding speed and terrific defensive ability. Although the Pirates are often slow to promote their prospects, Griffin should push for a roster spot next summer. Meanwhile, in the eyes of many observers, Chandler should’ve debuted much earlier than his actual debut date of Aug. 22. The righty didn’t have a great season in Triple-A but clearly has the stuff to continue learning on the job in the majors and will be a big part of the Pirates’ pitching operation going forward.
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And Chandler won’t be the only rookie pitcher on the Bucs next year, as Hunter Barco is knocking on the door. Barco, who will be 25 years old by the start of spring training, made a slow trip through the minors due to Tommy John surgery in 2022 and some minor injuries since then. Like many young hurlers, he needs to lower his walk rate in order to take the next step. Thomas Harrington is also expected to contribute in 2026 after debuting this season. Like Chandler, Harrington took a step back in the minors this season, as he was prone to homers and walks.
The fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Termarr Johnson, is the hitter most likely to make a significant impact next year. Johnson had a decent but unspectacular 2025 season in Double-A. He does a little bit of everything offensively but doesn’t have a dominant skill. His ability to play second base and shortstop will make him a good fit for a team looking for infielders.
Goals for 2026
The Pirates haven’t finished above .500 since 2018, and that drought will likely continue in 2026. The pieces are in place for a respectable rotation featuring Skenes, Keller, Chandler and Burrows. Jones can’t be counted on, but his return would make the group even stronger.
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But until the offense improves, the Pirates will be doomed to finish last in the NL Central. This organization refuses to spend big in free agency and has few impactful hitters on the verge of major-league debuts, so Pittsburgh’s lineup will almost certainly be among the worst in baseball again next year. It’s a shame that management won’t provide Skenes and Co. with a better supporting cast.
Fantasy focus
Skenes will be the first pitcher off the board in some 2026 drafts and should be no lower than third among all hurlers. He could even crack the first round of some drafts, though his expected lack of run support will likely cause many managers to prefer Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet.
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Although Cruz has been disappointing as a real-life hitter, his ability to compile homers and steals makes him a valuable fantasy asset. His low batting average will be a problem in roto leagues, but he should still be selected around Round 5. And many managers will draft Reynolds in the range of Round 12 on the premise that he’s in line for a bounce-back season.
The rest of the Pirates will be selected late in drafts. That list includes Keller, Chandler and Santana. And in some leagues, managers will use a late-round pick on Griffin with a plan to stash him on the bench in hopes he debuts earlier than expected.
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