PITTSBURGH - The Pirates took a step forward in 2026, but they’re still nowhere near the level of the clubs battling in the World Series.
That gap showed up in the places contenders usually separate themselves from everyone else. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay both feature bullpens built to survive October, while Pittsburgh spent too much of the year fighting its own relief corps. The Pirates were strong in 2025, but that edge disappeared in 2026 as key arms regressed, and the club paid for it in the standings.
Pittsburgh dropped games it could not afford to lose and kept missing chances to string together winning runs because the bullpen wasn’t dependable enough. Even after some solid deadline additions, the slide continued.
From late July to mid-August, the Pirates went 7-16 and never got back into the NL Wild Card mix. That leaves the front office with a major offseason job, and adding trustworthy bullpen help - through free agency or trade - has to be part of it.
The comparison with the Brewers and Rays is hard to ignore. Milwaukee’s late-inning mix includes closer Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby and deadline pickups JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela. Tampa Bay counters with closer Bryan Baker, Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly, and veteran support from Garrett Cleavinger, Cole Sulser, Steven Matz and Ian Seymour.
Third base is another spot where Pittsburgh fell short. The Pirates didn’t fix that problem last offseason, and it cost them in 2026.
Nick Gonzales ended up handling the position for most of the season, making 101 starts in 112 games. He helped with the bat, but the glove told a different story.
Gonzales put together a career year offensively, hitting .303/.367/.388 with an OPS of .755. That included the sixth-best batting average in baseball at .303 and the 20th-best on-base percentage at .367. But defensively, the numbers were rough: -15 defensive runs saved, -10 outs above average and -9 fielding run value, all the worst marks for any third baseman who played at least 850 innings.
Tampa Bay has the kind of third baseman Pittsburgh wishes it had in Junior Caminero. He played all 162 games, launched 42 home runs, drove in 101 runs and earned his second All-Star nod. He’s a right-handed power bat the Rays can build around, while Gonzales brings contact but not the kind of power that changes a lineup.
The Pirates would get a real boost from a third baseman who brings more thump and steadier defense. Gonzales can hit, but the position still looks like a place where Pittsburgh is giving away value.
Catcher is just as unsettled heading into 2027. Henry Davis is the most experienced option and easily the best defender of the group, one of the better defensive catchers in baseball.
The problem is that the bat still hasn’t come around. In 97 games in 2026, Davis hit .172/.272/.313 for an OPS of .585, and he still hasn’t become the hitter Pittsburgh hoped for when it drafted him first overall in 2021.
Endy Rodríguez has shown much more at the plate when healthy, batting .267/.373/.467 with an OPS of .840 in 45 games. But his injury history has kept him from getting enough runway. He had surgery to repair his left hip labrum on Aug. 26 and is expected to return to baseball activities between March and May 2027.
Rafael Flores Jr. may be the most intriguing bat in the mix. He hit .264/.331/.527 with an OPS of .858 in 47 games and knocked 11 home runs, though his defense remains a question.
Milwaukee and Tampa Bay, meanwhile, know who they’re handing the position to. The Brewers have William Contreras, a three-time All-Star who brings real impact at the plate, and the Rays had veteran Nick Fortes before adding the younger and more offense-minded Liam Hicks at the trade deadline.
For the Pirates, the hope is that one of Davis, Rodríguez or Flores seizes the job. At the very least, they need the competition to push the whole group forward and turn catcher from a weakness into a strength.
In Other News...
Paul Skenes Is Taking On A Fight Pirates Fans Should Watch
Paul Skenes has been front and center in a labor fight that matters far beyond the mound at PNC Park. The Pirates ace sits on the MLB Players Association executive subcommittee, putting him in the room for the collective bargaining talks that will shape the sports next economic framework, and he has made clear he is against a proposed salary cap because of what it could mean for players now and down the line.
For Pittsburgh, it is a reminder that Skenes is not just the face of the rotation but also one of the most important voices in a debate with real consequences for small-market teams. Even with his own financial future still wide open, he has argued the issue is about protecting players across the league, and the outcome of these negotiations could influence how the Pirates, and everyone else, build their rosters in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates May Face A Painful Trade Choice To Keep Brandon Lowe
Brandon Lowe is set to hit free agency, and the Pirates have every reason to want him back after seeing what he can bring to the middle of a lineup. He has already said hed like to stay in Pittsburgh, which only adds to the appeal for a club trying to build around proven talent rather than keep cycling through short-term answers.
The problem is the price tag. Lowe is lined up for a deal that would push beyond what the Pirates are currently set up to spend, putting the front office in a bind as it tries to balance payroll with the rest of the roster. If Pittsburgh is serious about keeping him, the next move may have to come from somewhere else on the roster, and that is where the conversation gets uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Could Make One Telling Move If Brandon Lowe Leaves
Brandon Lowes future is already shaping up as a question for after the 2026 season, and that kind of looming free-agent decision tends to send front offices and outside analysts into roster-spot mode. For the Pirates, the conversation has centered on what they might do if Lowe departs, with the infield picture suddenly needing another answer and a potential opening for a more aggressive move on the market.
One Bleacher Report take has linked Pittsburgh to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who spent 2026 with the New York Yankees and would be one of the more recognizable names available if he reaches free agency. The idea is simple enough for a club looking to stay flexible: replace one high-profile infielder with another on a short-term deal, then see where the fit goes from there. For now, though, it remains a projection rather than a plan, and the real intrigue is whether the Pirates would be willing to make that kind of swing if the opportunity actually materializes. [Read more 🡒]