Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has an unexpected message for frustrated Pirates fans

Kyle Dubas probably wasn't trying to give Ben Cherington advice when he jumped into the replies of a tweet about the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. But he did it anyway.

Pirates writer Adam Gretz highlighted seven games Pittsburgh has lost this season after blowing leads, noting that while dropping one or two games that way is inevitable over a 162-game schedule, doing it seven times through the first 100 games can be the difference between playing in October and watching from home.

His most painful observation was even simpler: If the Pirates had merely held on in the three games in which their win probability exceeded 95%, they would be 54-45, sitting in a playoff spot with some breathing room and very much involved in the NL Central race.

That's when Dubas chimed in.

"another Pittsburgh team had that very issue last winter and managed to rectify to make the playoffs. Keep the faith and Go Bucs!!"

The Penguins general manager knows exactly what he's talking about, and his Pirates counterpart should be taking notes.

The Penguins' 2025-26 season wasn't some seamless march to the postseason. They had their own infuriating stretches, their own blown opportunities and their own moments where a potentially successful season appeared determined to unravel. But Dubas kept working on the roster anyway.

The Penguins acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner and defenseman Brett Kulak from Edmonton in December in a deal that sent Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin the other way. Later that month, Dubas acquired Egor Chinakhov from Columbus for Danton Heinen and two draft picks. By the trade deadline, Pittsburgh had also added Sam Girard, Ilya Solovyov and Elmer Soderblom through in-season deals.

Dubas didn't wait until the deadline to determine whether his team was worthy of help. He saw a group that was competing, identified areas where it could improve and started making changes months beforehand. In fact, Dubas explicitly explained at the deadline that the Penguins wanted to acquire players earlier because giving those additions more runway to settle in would benefit the team.

Therein lies the lesson for Cherington.

Kyle Dubas just gave Ben Cherington the blueprint Pirates need to follow

The Pirates don't need Cherington to stand at the trade deadline and marvel at how close his team could have been if Dennis Santana had gotten one more out here, if Gregory Soto had escaped an inning there or if the bullpen had protected another late lead somewhere else. They need him to actually do something about it.

Seven catastrophic losses don't mean this team is secretly one of the best clubs in baseball. You can't simply erase every blown lead from the standings and assume everything else would have unfolded exactly the same way. But when a team is hanging around the playoff race despite repeatedly giving away games it had almost completely secured, the response from its front office should reflect a sense of urgency.

That's especially true because the Pirates' most obvious weakness isn't difficult to identify. Their bullpen has been stretched repeatedly, and the club has too often asked an unstable collection of relievers to protect leads created by a lineup and starting rotation that have done enough to win.

Cherington doesn't need to trade away the entire farm system or make a reckless deal because of seven bad losses, but he also can't allow prospect capital, payroll considerations or fear of losing a trade three years from now to become excuses for wasting what's happening right now.

That's another place where Dubas provides a useful example. The Chinakhov deal cost Pittsburgh second- and third-round draft picks. Dubas was willing to spend future assets because he saw a player who could help the current roster while still fitting beyond one playoff chase. Chinakhov rewarded that aggression, producing 18 goals in his first 43 games with Pittsburgh as the Penguins worked their way toward the postseason.

That's precisely the kind of balance Cherington should be seeking. The Pirates don't have to limit themselves to expensive two-month rentals. Find controllable relievers. Find bullpen arms with upside who can help now and beyond 2026. Find another legitimate major league bat if the opportunity presents itself.

But find something — because waiting for internal improvement only works until the next two-run lead disappears in the eighth inning.

The Penguins ultimately clinched their playoff berth in Game 79 out of 82 after entering the season with overwhelmingly low external expectations. Their success wasn't solely because of Dubas' trades, of course. Dan Muse and his coaching staff deserve credit, and so do the players who actually turned the season around. But the front office gave them help.

By the time Pittsburgh reached the postseason, the list of contributors acquired by Dubas over the previous year included Skinner, Chinakhov, Girard, Soderblom, Arturs Silovs, Tommy Novak, Connor Dewar and Connor Clifton. The Penguins also resisted trading Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell when moving veterans for future assets could have been the easier organizational choice.

Dubas recognized that his team was ready to compete. Now Cherington needs to recognize the same thing.

The Pirates have already spent too many nights this season lamenting games they should have won. At some point, those losses have to become evidence that this team is good enough to justify reinforcement. Failing to reinforce it could be the very reason the Pirates find themselves looking back in October at two or three games that got away.

Dubas' message was "keep the faith," which is fine advice for fans. But Cherington has a different responsibility:

Give them a reason to.

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