The Pirates wanted a higher ceiling on the mound. Instead, a year after moving on from Oscar Marin, they’re staring at a pitching staff that has gone backward while Marin’s profile keeps rising just down the road in Cincinnati.
That’s the sting of this whole situation for Pittsburgh. Marin was let go after the 2025 season, even though the Pirates had just finished with a 3.76 ERA, seventh-best in MLB.
That number wasn’t a fluke, either. Pittsburgh had steadily chipped away at its ERA for four straight seasons, going from 5.08 in 2021 to 4.66, 4.60, 4.15 and then 3.76.
The front office believed there was still more in the tank, and that belief helped push the club to make a change.
The Pirates also leaned on pitcher input while weighing Marin’s future. They ended up hiring former Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy, drawn in by his communication style and what he had done in Houston.
So far, the results haven’t matched the bet.
Through 137 games, Pirates pitchers own a 4.19 ERA and a 1.309 WHIP. Both marks are worse than last season, with the ERA up nearly half a run and the WHIP climbing from 1.216. That’s a harsh slide for a group the Pirates expected to anchor a playoff push, especially with so much young talent in the rotation.
Murphy has taken plenty of the heat, but the season hasn’t exactly given him a clean runway. Mitch Keller’s year ended because of injury.
Jared Jones has been managed carefully after elbow surgery. Bubba Chandler has gone through the sort of uneven stretches that come with being a young starter.
Even Paul Skenes has spent much of the season working through mechanical tweaks and trying to get his velocity back where he wants it.
And it hasn’t been all bad. Braxton Ashcraft has made a real jump, and the bullpen has been much better in the second half.
Still, the overall trend is hard to ignore.
That’s why Marin’s new role with the Reds lands with extra force in Pittsburgh. Cincinnati hired him as bullpen coach in November, not long after the Pirates moved on. Then in June, when Derek Johnson took an indefinite personal leave of absence, Marin’s responsibilities grew.
The Reds haven’t exactly turned into a pitching juggernaut. They’re sitting on a 4.58 team ERA after posting a 3.86 mark last season. But from the Pirates’ side, the comparison is unavoidable.
Pittsburgh didn’t cut Marin loose because the staff had collapsed. It did it after the group had just turned in its best ERA in years, because the organization thought a different voice could unlock even more. That kind of move only makes sense if the new setup produces better results.
It hasn’t yet. And while that doesn’t prove the Pirates made the wrong call, it does explain why the scrutiny around Murphy is only getting louder as Marin takes on more responsibility in the division.
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