The Pittsburgh Pirates are out of the postseason picture again, and that’s the part that really hangs over everything else. What had once looked like a season with some promise has slid into another year without October baseball, stretching the franchise’s playoff drought to 11 seasons. For Yinzer Nation, it’s now been 14 years since the last Buccos playoff win.
There is still something left to chase. The Pirates can still try to squeeze a little more out of 2026 by winning a few more games in the final weak and finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2018. But even with that possibility still alive, it’s hard to ignore the larger truth: this was supposed to be different.
That’s why the focus should be less on the manager’s chair and more on the front office. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal released his annual list of managers on the hot seat last weekend, and Don Kelly was not on it. With the Pirates officially eliminated from postseason contention just after that report, it looks like Kelly will be back.
That would fit the pattern in Pittsburgh. There had already been talk last week that Ben Cherington would return for his eighth season as general manager, and under Bob Nutting, the organization has shown a clear comfort with keeping things as they are, no matter the results.
Kelly has earned plenty of credit for what he’s done this season. He’s been a steady hand after Derek Shelton was fired, and he continued the strong work he started in 2025 by helping drag a collapsing club out of the mud. He also helped bring new pieces into the room, including Brandon Lowe and Luke Weaver, and that gave the Pirates a more competitive feel.
Still, the bigger problem has not been the dugout. It has been the people building the roster.
Cherington finally had the chance to make real moves, and those additions were possible because Nutting finally opened up the wallet enough to invest in the team. But the bottom line stayed the same: the roster still wasn’t good enough to win enough games to get to October.
That leaves plenty of people with a share of the blame. Kelly, Cherington, and the players all have their piece of it.
But the constant through the last seven seasons has been the same man assembling the roster, and at some point that has to matter. The Pirates need a new perspective.
In Other News...
Bryan Reynolds Just Gave The Pirates A Bigger 2027 Decision
Bryan Reynolds 2026 season gave the Pirates a useful reminder of what he still brings to the middle of the lineup, even if the year never quite settled into superstar territory. He led the majors with 40 doubles, becoming the first Pirates player since 2008 to reach that mark and only the second switch-hitter in franchise history to do it, joining Bobby Bonilla. Paired with a .261/.365/.422 line, 17 home runs and a 117 wRC+, it was a strong season that still left a little room for more.
Reynolds also spent much of the year bouncing between hot stretches and quieter periods, which is why his role in 2027 suddenly feels more complicated than it did a few months ago. The Pirates have reason to wonder whether a little more rest and some designated hitter time could keep his bat closer to its best for longer, turning an already productive hitter into something more dependable over the full season. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Final Series Puts Two Young Arms Under A Real Spotlight
The Pirates head into their final three games of the 2026 season with a pair of young starters set for the spotlight, as Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones are lined up to bookend the series against the Tigers. It has been a season defined in part by attrition on the pitching staff, with injuries forcing Pittsburgh to lean more heavily on its bullpen and a short list of healthy arms, which has only raised the importance of every turn in the rotation down the stretch.
Chandlers year has had its rough patches, but he has settled in better in the second half and now gets one more chance to show how far he has come. Jones, meanwhile, has been one of the brighter stories on the staff since returning from surgery, turning in a strong September and giving the Pirates a late reminder of what he can look like when he is right. With the season ending and the workload still tight, this series offers a clear look at two pitchers the club will be watching closely into the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Yates Just Raised An Interesting Question About His Pirates Future
Kirby Yates arrived in Pittsburgh after a trade from the Los Angeles Angels and gave the Pirates exactly the kind of late-season stability a contending bullpen can use. Over 14 outings, the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA, and he made it clear he valued the opportunity to join a club he sees as having real talent and room to do more next season.
Now the bigger question is what comes next for Yates himself. He is out of contract at the end of the season and is weighing whether to keep pitching or step away, which leaves the Pirates with an experienced arm to think about as they shape their bullpen plans. For a team he praised as strong and promising, his decision could matter well beyond this years final stretch. [Read more 🡒]