Numbers reveal painful Pirates truth that keeps ruining playoff hopes

The Pirates are scratching and clawing to remain relevant in 2026. Though it's been frustrating, they're really doing as solid job.

That said, the same prevailing thought remains: just what does Pittsburgh have to do to put this team over the top? They have a top offense in all of baseball, ranking sixth in runs per game. The starting rotation consists of Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Braxton Ashcraft and other solid options.

If there is one weak link, it's very clearly the bullpen, and the statistics back that up. The Pirates rank fourth in total fWAR in the majors, which includes an impressive level of parity between their lineup and pitching staff. One quick look at the top of this list shows Pittsburgh surrounded by division leaders, including the top three teams in FanSided's MLB Power Rankings. So, what's holding Pittsburgh back?

The Pirates bullpen has taken them out of the playoff race

While it's easy to blame Don Kelly for some of the Pirates' misfortune, Pittsburgh's current standing outside of the NL Wild Card race is misguided. Kelly is unproven, but has done a lot with a Pirates roster that, quite frankly, lacks depth. Nowhere is that more prevalent than the bullpen.

The Pirates have blown 16 saves so far this season alone. If they had converted even half of those, odds are Pittsburgh would be near the top of the NL Wild Card standings and challenging Milwaukee for the NL Central. It really is that simple.

Gregory Soto has been just about the only reliable relief pitcher in the Pirates bullpen this year. Dennis Santana and Mason Montgomery, two pitchers who were supposed to serve as the bridge to Soto, haven't gotten the job done. Pittsburgh recently moved Carmen Mlodzinski from the starting rotation to the bullpen. He's given up 10 runs (five earned) combined in his last two appearances.

Pirates made a critical offseason mistake that is costing them

So, how did the Pirates get here? Pittsburgh had money to spend this offseason thanks to an increased budget from Bob Nutting. Their goal was simple: add lineup depth. In that sense, Ben Cherington succeeded, per many of the stats listed above. However, his final decision has come back to haunt the Pirates.

Pittsburgh needed to choose a full-time DH. Their options were Andrew McCutchen, Marcell Ozuna or DH by committee. Cherington went with Ozuna, the most expensive option, and signed him for $12 million. For a small-market team like the Pirates, that's a lot of money. Cherington was so focused on out-scoring his opponents he didn't realize the team he assembled lacked late-inning relief.

That, frankly, is inexcusable. Cherington traded David Bednar to the New York Yankees at last year's deadline. Bednar's replacement, Santana, pitched well in limited playing time, but had very little history of closing games in big moments. Soto was a sound addition, but the rest of the bullpen is held together by scotch tape, and the Pirates should've known that heading into the season.

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