Brewers' latest playoff win exposes the Pirates' most frustrating unfinished business

The Milwaukee Brewers are once again showing the Pittsburgh Pirates what a legitimate postseason contender looks like. And this time, the lesson has less to do with starting pitching or offensive production than what happens after the starter leaves the mound.

Milwaukee defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in Sunday's National League Championship Series opener, with its bullpen delivering 4 2/3 scoreless innings to protect a one-run lead against the defending World Series champions.

It was precisely the kind of performance the Pirates should be studying as they prepare for an offseason in which constructing a reliable bullpen remains one of their most important pieces of unfinished business.

The Brewers didn't need one dominant closer to carry them through the final innings. They needed an entire relief corps capable of handling high-leverage situations.

After Jacob Misiorowski exited in the fifth inning, DL Hall helped bridge the gap before Abner Uribe delivered a scoreless sixth. Aaron Ashby handled the seventh and eighth, and Trevor Megill survived a tense ninth to secure the victory.

Four relievers. Nearly five innings. Zero runs. That's what a postseason-caliber bullpen looks like. And while the Pirates finally have reason to feel optimistic about their own late-inning pitching situation, they're nowhere near having Milwaukee's depth.

Brewers' NLCS win should make Pirates rethink their biggest bullpen priority

Mason Montgomery emerged as one of Pittsburgh's most encouraging developments during the second half of the 2026 season. The hard-throwing left-hander established himself as a legitimate late-inning weapon, earning National League Reliever of the Month honors for September.

From July 27 through September 25, Montgomery threw 24 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, recording 37 strikeouts against just seven walks. His emergence gave Pittsburgh something it had desperately lacked for much of the season: a dependable option to protect late leads.

The addition of Luke Weaver at the trade deadline further strengthened the back end of the bullpen. Better yet, Weaver remains under contract through 2027, with the New York Mets covering $6 million of his $11 million salary.

Montgomery and Weaver give the Pirates a potentially formidable late-inning combination. But Sunday's NLCS opener demonstrated exactly why two reliable relievers aren't enough.

What happens when the starting pitcher lasts only four innings? What happens when Montgomery and Weaver have pitched on consecutive nights? Who handles the seventh inning against the opposing team's best hitters? Those are questions Pittsburgh can't afford to leave unanswered.

The Pirates' bullpen is already facing additional uncertainty heading into 2027. Veteran left-hander Gregory Soto is entering free agency after signing a one-year contract last offseason. Meanwhile, Kirby Yates, acquired at the trade deadline to provide another experienced late-inning option, announced his retirement in September. Those departures create holes in a bullpen that wasn't particularly deep to begin with.

The Pirates spent much of 2026 discovering the consequences of unreliable relief pitching. Early-season blown leads cost them valuable wins, and general manager Ben Cherington eventually had to overhaul the bullpen at the trade deadline.

Waiting until August to address a problem that existed in April isn't a sustainable strategy for a team supposedly preparing to contend. Nor should Montgomery's breakout become an excuse to spend less on additional pitching.

Milwaukee's success is especially frustrating because the Pirates already possess the kind of young starting rotation that should make building a competitive bullpen even more worthwhile. With Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft providing a potentially exceptional foundation, Pittsburgh should be concentrating on ensuring those starters' efforts aren't wasted.

That means investing in multiple credible setup options, improving middle-relief depth and giving manager Don Kelly the flexibility to manage matchups instead of simply hoping his best two relievers are available.

The Brewers won 103 regular-season games and are now three victories away from the World Series. Their bullpen isn't the only reason they've gotten this far, but Sunday's victory was a reminder of how valuable that depth becomes in October.

Pittsburgh finally found a closer worth building around. Now the Pirates need to prove they understand that building around him is the important part.

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