Pirates' biggest offensive weakness has an unlikely solution hiding in plain sight after Oneil Cruz's season

One of the biggest issues facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026 was the team's performance against left-handed pitching, particularly left-handed starters. When a southpaw started the game, the Pirates hit just .229/.300/.359; all three of those marks were last in the league. Unsurprisingly, the club posted a putrid 18-33 record against lefty starting pitchers.

These struggles were one of the key factors that killed Pittsburgh's playoff hopes. The obvious solution to the problem is to add a right-handed-hitting slugger or two. Generally, we're a fan of Occam's razor, but sometimes there's more than meets the eye.

Enter Oneil Cruz. After a miserable 2025 season that saw the six-foot-seven outfielder hit .200/.298/.378, he entered 2026 as something of a make-or-break year. One of the key reasons Cruz's struggled in 2025 was his abysmal .102 average he put up against southpaws. Lefties always gave Cruz fits, but that was a new and worrisome low.

However, in 2026, Cruz didn't just handle left-handed pitching; he manhandled it. The left-handed slugger hit .326 against same-handed hurlers this year, throwing in a .374 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging percentage for good measure.

That begs the question: if Pirates' coaching could unlock Cruz to this extent against lefties, why can't they do it for the rest of the club?

The Pirates' best course of action to fix their issues against lefties is a mix of external additions and internal improvements

If we're being honest, Pittsburgh has limited assets to bring in a high-quality right-handed power bat. The team also needs to bolster the starting rotation, add to the bullpen, and, most importantly, re-sign Brandon Lowe. That's not going to leave a lot left over to bring in high-end right-hand-hitting options.

That means the Pirates have two choices for how they add right-handed pop. Either they try to catch lightning in a bottle with a veteran signing, as was the thinking behind the Marcell Ozuna signing. Unfortunately, Ozuna was an unmitigated disaster. Or they empty the farm for a high-end controllable player like Hunter Goodman, though that comes with its own set of issues.

Instead, the true answer is a little of this, a little of that. Pittsburgh should sign an affordable veteran right-handed hitter with a history of terrorizing lefties, while doing a deep dive into the adjustments that allowed Cruz to realize such a dramatic turnaround, and then replicate those among the hitters on the roster who struggle against lefties.

By following a best-of-both-worlds strategy, the Pirates will nearly ensure that at least one of these strategies works, and if they both hit, the club will be a force to be reckoned with. Most importantly, the organization has figured out a winning plan of action with Cruz; now they need to spread that love throughout. If they can't do that, 2027 is set up to be yet another disappointment.

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