MLB.com has insane Pirates World Series prediction for 2028 season

It has been 45 years since the Pirates have won a World Series, and while they have a team of multiple stars, those leaders alone don't seem likely to form a serious contender in the near future. Pittsburgh has finished above .500 four times in the last 32 seasons. It may be tough to envision this current management as a World Series contender in the next few years, especially since they have yet to even post a .500 season on their ledger.

Nonetheless, Will Leitch of MLB.com is providing Pirates fans with some optimism this week by predicting them to make it to the World Series in 2028 in a rematch against the Orioles, who Pittsburgh beat in 1971 and 1979. Given where the Pirates are right now, it seems like a ridiculous claim, but there is a possibility it makes sense.

Is a 2028 World Series feasible, given the players the Pirates have locked up?

Leitch notes that Paul Skenes will be 26 in that season and could be the player that carries them there. One pitcher cannot obviously do it all himself, but the Pirates currently have Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, and even more young talent in that pitching room that will be under contract and around for that 2028 season.

The worry is not the pitching, though, but the offense down the stretch. The Pirates do not exactly have a deep offensive class in their farm system. Konnor Griffin and Termarr Johnson are young players that could make an impact in the majors prior to the 2028 season. Aside from those two, the Pirates do not have many highly graded offensive prospects.

The majority of the Pirates hitters on the roster are under contract until that season as well, including Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Nick Gonzales, and newly acquired Spencer Horwitz. There is a lot of room to add to this group, but these four will likely be the nucleus of the lineup in the intervening years between now and this semi-tongue-in-cheek 2028 prediction.

It does appear to be a bit of a stretch to predict the Pirates as a World Series contender, but they have four years to line things up. A lot could change in that stretch, and the Pirates do have long-term players that can contribute towards getting them there. Time will tell, but for now, they are a predicted team to be in the 2028 World Series. Print those tickets.