2025 Pittsburgh Pirates predictions: Team MVP, breakout player, record and more

Pirates' Record Prediction: 85-77

Is this bold and maybe too optimistic? Yes, I’ll be the first to admit that. But let’s look at all that the Pirates have going for them. The rotation is in great shape. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Jared Jones are one of the best 1-through-3’s in baseball. Bubba Chandler will soon join the rotation, and plenty more depth is coming up through the system.

The bullpen has plenty of talent to be good in 2025 as well. A year ago, David Bednar and Colin Holderman looked like a quality eighth/ninth inning duo. In terms of ability and talent, nothing has changed there. The Pirates also benefit from Dennis Santana breaking out in 2024, and have added lefties Tim Mayza and Caleb Ferguson, with Carmen Mlodzinski, Kyle Nicolas, and Justin Lawrence also on hand. One thing is for sure about the bullpen: it has a high ceiling, albeit with a questionable floor.

Thankfully, the Pirates definitely have options to mitigate some of the bullpen’s struggles. They could always call upon right-handers Braxton Ashcraft or Mike Burrows and slot them into the pen, as both are on the 40-man roster. Hunter Barco is another one who could be an option to start games or come out of the bullpen. 

The lineup is where many are worried, and reasonably so. The Pirates only made one big addition this offseason, and that’s Spencer Horwitz. While Horwitz is a good hitter, he’s only one guy, and he isn't healthy to begin the season after having surgery to address a "chronic" wrist issue. The Pirates are admittedly relying heavily on Matt Hague to work some magic, and a handful of factors outside their control, like Ke’Bryan Hayes’ back holding up better.

But let’s look at it like this: the Pirates’ hitting doesn’t have to be elite for them to be an 84-to-85-win team. The pitching will do the heavy lifting, and they can definitely get by with that. The Pirates themselves know this. During their last playoff run from 2013 through 2015, they had a team 102 wRC+ and an ERA+ of 111. Let the pitching do its thing, and if the bats are at least average, the Pirates could potentially be in the Wild Card hunt, at the very least.