Ryan O’Hearn didn’t just talk like a veteran enjoying a September run. He sounded like a player who knows the Pirates have reached the point where words about “progress” aren’t enough anymore.
After Pittsburgh’s 2-0 shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, O’Hearn made it plain that this group feels like more than a late-season tease.
“This definitely feels like a group to build off of,” O’Hearn said. “I'm not the GM; I don't make those decisions in the offseason.
But it definitely feels like a group that's building together moving forward. It doesn't feel like the end.”
That’s the part Ben Cherington and the Pirates can’t ignore. Pittsburgh enters Wednesday at 80-77 after a 13-6 September, and the final week won’t change the fact that another October will be spent at home. But the month has done something important: it’s shown there’s real talent here, and enough of it to justify a more aggressive offseason.
Konnor Griffin is healthy and looking like a foundational piece. Oneil Cruz has been one of the club’s hottest bats since late August.
Rafael Flores Jr. has pushed himself into the long-term picture. Jared Jones has been dominant in September, and Mason Montgomery has emerged as one of the most effective relievers in baseball.
That’s a different kind of offseason backdrop. The Pirates shouldn’t be entering another winter talking mostly about internal improvement and hoping the breaks finally go their way. The roster has given Cherington a clearer assignment than that.
If Pittsburgh wants to show it sees this the same way, re-signing Brandon Lowe is the cleanest first move.
O’Hearn was asked directly whether he’d like to see Lowe back, and he answered without hesitation.
“Are you asking me if I would love to have a guy that hits 30-plus homers and probably 100 RBIs, that plays Gold Glove second base, and is a stud in the clubhouse?” O’Hearn said. “Like yeah, I would love to have that guy back.”
So would the Pirates, if they’re serious about building around what they’ve got.
Lowe has given Pittsburgh the kind of middle-of-the-order power the organization has chased for years without finding enough of it. He helped a lineup that once looked stranded offensively set a franchise record for home runs.
That matters. So does the way he fits in the room.
Now comes the decision. Pittsburgh can treat Lowe as part of the core and keep moving forward, or it can let one of its best hitters leave and create another hole it will spend the winter trying to patch.
Keeping Lowe wouldn’t finish the job. The Pirates still need to figure out what they have behind the plate, improve the depth, and make sure the bullpen doesn’t slip after stabilizing following the trade deadline. But Lowe is the first real test of whether this front office plans to add to the roster or simply reshuffle it.
A winning record would be a step. Finishing above .500 for the first time since 2018 would mean something. But it’s not the destination.
The standard is October.
O’Hearn said the people in the clubhouse feel it too.
“I’ve been on teams where it kind of felt like the end-of-an-era-type thing,” O’Hearn said. “But this definitely feels like a team that you want to build forward with.”
That’s the message. Build forward.
Keep Lowe. Add around Griffin, Cruz, O’Hearn and Flores.
Give Paul Skenes, Jones, Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler an offense that can back them up. Strengthen the bullpen instead of spending half a season trying to fix it.
The Pirates have spent years waiting for a young core worth investing in. It looks like they finally have one. Now Cherington has to prove the organization is willing to act like it.
In Other News...
Pirates Make A Troubling Oneil Cruz Call In Seasons Final Stretch
Oneil Cruz will sit out the Pirates next game against the St. Louis Cardinals, with Jake Mangum stepping into center field as Pittsburgh continues to manage a painful left-hand fracture. With the club already eliminated from postseason contention, the decision is as much about protecting Cruz as it is about surviving the final stretch, and it comes with a lineup that looks noticeably different from the one fans have gotten used to.
Cruz is expected to be out of the lineup for about a month and 25 games, leaving the Pirates to shuffle the order in ways that say a lot about where this season stands. Brandon Lowe is set to hit fourth, while Rafael Flores Jr. will bat second for the first time in his career, a reminder that September in Pittsburgh has shifted from results to evaluation and caution. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Prospect Surge Is Putting One Name Front And Center
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Hernandez is part of a broader wave of prospect recognition across the system, with Axiel Plaz, Jared Jones and Wyatt Sanford earning South Atlantic League All-Star nods and Connor Wietgrefe plus Nick Cimillo collecting International League weekly awards for Triple-A Indianapolis. For Pittsburgh, the significance is less about the individual plaudits than the way they reflect a farm system getting production at multiple levels, even as the next step for Hernandez remains the one everyone is watching. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Turn To Another Patchwork Plan With Cardinals Series At Stake
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The setup gives the Pirates a real chance to claim the series, but it also leaves little margin for error. With the rotation thinned out, the early innings become especially important, and the club will be counting on the bullpen to hold the line long enough to keep the matchup from slipping away in a series that still hangs in the balance. [Read more 🡒]