Nick Gonzales gave the Pirates exactly what they had been waiting for in 2026. He turned in the kind of offensive season that can change a lineup, finishing at .303 with a .367 on-base percentage, 167 hits and 61 RBI over 148 games. He was one of only seven qualified hitters in baseball to finish above .300, and for Pittsburgh he looked like one of the most reliable bats in the lineup.
That progress, though, came with a catch the Pirates can’t ignore.
Gonzales’ move to third base turned into the other story of his season, and not a flattering one. His final defensive line at the position was minus-15 defensive runs saved and minus-11 outs above average, both last among third basemen with at least 850 innings played.
The bat took a clear step forward. The glove did not.
The situation was hardly ideal for Gonzales. Pittsburgh pushed him off his natural spot at second base after bringing in Brandon Lowe, and he was asked to learn third essentially in real time.
That matters, and it’s fair to separate the offensive breakout from the defensive growing pains. But it doesn’t erase the problem now facing the front office.
General manager Ben Cherington said as much during his end-of-season media availability, making it clear the club still had not settled on where Gonzales fits in 2027.
Lowe’s free agency adds another layer. If he departs, the cleanest answer might seem obvious: move Gonzales back to second and keep the bat in the lineup while trying to stabilize third base.
But even that isn’t a perfect fix. Gonzales posted minus-11 defensive runs saved at second in 2025, so he hasn’t exactly locked down that side of the infield either.
There’s also the offense to consider. Lowe hit 35 home runs in 2026.
Gonzales hit six. Swapping one for the other would come with a real power loss, even if Gonzales keeps hitting for average the way he just did.
Then there’s Murf Gray, who forced his way into the conversation with a strong 2026 across three minor-league levels. He hit .305 with 32 home runs and could end up as Pittsburgh’s long-term answer at third base, even if he isn’t ready to arrive in the majors right away in 2027. His rise only complicates Gonzales’ path further.
Jared Triolo gives the Pirates another option, thanks to his defensive versatility, though his bat doesn’t carry nearly the same upside.
Pittsburgh can also think about Gonzales in a utility role or as a designated hitter, but neither route solves the basic issue: a 27-year-old coming off a .303 season deserves everyday at-bats. The Pirates don’t need to walk away from that kind of production. They just can’t ignore the fact that the defensive fit remains very much unsettled.
In Other News...
Pirates Face A Costly David Bednar Question This Offseason
David Bednars path out of Pittsburgh and into free agency has become one of the more interesting offseason subplots for a club that still needs to sharpen its roster in multiple places. The Pirates moved on from him after a rough start to the 2026 season, only to watch him settle in and finish strong, which makes the trade look a little more complicated now than it did in the moment. The prospects Pittsburgh got back are part of the equation too, but the bigger question is what the Pirates are willing to spend if they want to keep a proven late-inning arm in the mix.
Bednar remains a high-end bullpen option, the kind of reliever any contender would be happy to plug into the back end, but Pittsburgh has to weigh that against a broader list of needs. The bullpen can always use help, yet the front office also has other roster areas demanding attention, and thats where the real tension sits for this winter. The Pirates may like the idea of a reunion, but whether they make a serious push could say more about their offseason priorities than about Bednar himself. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates May Be Running Out Of Time On Their Top Offseason Need
The Pirates have spent the early offseason treating second base as their clearest priority, and Brandon Lowe has emerged as the player most tied to that need. Pittsburgh has been weighing ways to address the spot while the free-agent market still has some depth, but the broader backdrop is making the decision harder. The club would prefer to sort through its options with some patience, especially with other second basemen available if the top target proves too expensive or too difficult to land.
The problem is the calendar may not offer much of that patience. A potential MLB lockout could quickly squeeze the Pirates leverage and limit what they can do if negotiations stall, turning what looked like a measured pursuit into a more urgent one. If the market tightens and Lowe remains available, Pittsburgh may have to decide sooner than planned whether to push hard for him or risk watching its top offseason need linger deeper into the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Still Lack The Late-Game Edge Contenders Rely On
The Pirates gave themselves something to build on with an 82-80 finish in 2026, their first winning season since 2018, but the run only sharpened the conversation around what still separates a good club from a true contender. In a year when the bullpen showed its flaws, Pittsburgh leaned on arms like Mason Montgomery and Yohan Ramrez, yet the late innings often looked more fragile than teams with October expectations can afford.
For a club trying to turn a modest step forward into a real jump, the relief corps remains the part of the roster that most needs sharpening. The Pirates have enough evidence now to know that better late-game run prevention is not just a luxury, and the next few moves will reveal whether they can turn a promising season into one with staying power. [Read more 🡒]