Pirates clearly took industry's depressing nickname for their offseason seriously

With all due respect to Ben Cherington and the Pittsburgh Pirates' front office, it's no wonder that expectations were low before expectations suddenly became ... Lowe.

After several barren offseasons and a 2025-26 winter that began with some all-for-show offers for top-tier free agent talent (or so we thought, Cherington and Co. have actually pulled off some savvy trades this winter, including picking up All-Star Brandon Lowe in a three-team blockbuster. On Tuesday, they added Ryan O'Hearn to their offensive portfolio. It's now clear they've found a way to move forward in an offseason that was once mocked for their free agent "attempts" (whether you believe in their legitimacy or not.

The offseason started with salivating reports of a desire to push payroll up by several magnitudes , and before bringing in Lowe and O'Hearn (but after importing Jhostynxon Garcia), that meant the industry had the Pirates in their crosshairs for missing opportunities to get better via free agency.

That led to a disturbing (but on-brand) revelation from MLB insiders, with one particular nickname for the team emerging, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (on Dec. 18): "Pirates-maids."

Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Polanco misses painted a grim picture for Pirates' standing

It's funny to think that "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" is an improvement in status from the Pirates' usual no-show in free agency, but credit to them for moving the needle on the trade market instead.

Missing out on Kyle Schwarber was disappointing, if not somewhat understandable. The reigning NL home run king received $150 million over five years from the Philadelphia Phillies, which was about $30 million (and an extra year) clear of the Pirates' overall offer.

Failing to sign Jorge Polanco, who got $40 million over two years from the New York Mets, was less forgivable. He was affordable and the kind of above-average bat the team desperately needs, and his contract only barely surpassed the franchise-record $39 million Francisco Liriano got as a free agent with the Pirates more than a decade ago.

Detractors could've gotten on their case for using valuable pitching to acquire Lowe (a second baseman, like Polanco), and Garcia, but what will they say now that O'Hearn is in the fold? Is it really worthy of scorn that the Pirates didn't acquire Schwarber/Pete Alonso, but still got significantly better?

There are still a litany of players who could further help upgrade the Bucs' offense, including Kazuma Okamoto, whom the Pirates have met with multiple times as the NPB star seeks out a home in Major League Baseball. He could also be shockingly affordable after fellow Japanese sensation Munetaka Murakami was forced to settle for a below-market deal.

Winning the O'Hearn sweepstakes should've quieted every detractor who didn't already turn after the Lowe maneuver. What a difference a week makes - the "Pirates-Maids" story ran on Dec. 18.