Pirates finally fixed baseball’s most embarrassing offense, raising the stakes for 2027

This time last year, I wrote an article detailing the offensive ineptitude of the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a blunt, painful review of an ugly season, with the main takeaway being that a complete lack of power had cut off the team's ability to produce runs in bunches at the source.

With the Bucs' season now over, we can perform the same exercise for the 2026 campaign. And right away, I've got good news: The Pirates were far more competent at the plate this time around.

After finishing dead last in home runs and runs scored last year, the organization ranked 13th (186) and sixth (767), respectively, this season. That latter figure was particularly impressive; not only did it rank inside the top five in the National League, it also marked the largest year-over-year improvement by any team in baseball by a significant margin.

But here's where we run into some cognitive dissonance. The Pirates went from the worst offense in the sport to a top-10 unit in the span of one year and it still wasn't enough to crash the playoffs. Further improvements are clearly necessary, putting pressure on the front office to double down on their efforts to augment Don Kelly's lineup.

Pirates' second-half collapse on offense offers insight into what reinforcements the roster needs

The good news is that a lot of Ben Cherington's additions panned out immediately in 2026. Brandon Lowe (121 wRC+) was a sensation in his debut campaign with the Pirates, Ryan O'Hearn (.770 OPS) and Jake Magnum (.331 OBP) were key contributors at various spots in the lineup, and rookie sensation Konnor Griffin (.728 OPS) began living up to his massive extension as he got more comfortable in the majors. Add in bounce-back efforts from Bryan Reynolds (118 wRC+) and Nick Gonzales (111 wRC+), and it's clear that the core group that's in place should remain an effective unit in 2027 and beyond.

However, there were failures as well, including the horrid tenure of Marcell Ozuna (-1.0 fWAR), Jhostynxon Garcia's rookie struggles (.167 average), and Henry Davis' continued war against competency at the plate (62 wRC+). That all adds up over the course of a season, which is part of the reason behind the Pirates' second-half collapse; after the All-Star break, they ranked 29th in the second half in runs (251) and wRC+ (87).

That's where Cherington's focus has to shift this offseason. The upside is there, but the floor is still too low in Pittsburgh. Better bench depth would go a long way toward keep guys fresh later in the season, as would more contact-oriented hitters who can help stave off strikeout-fueled slumps.

The progress made this season was a necessary step forward, but the Pirates can't be content after missing the playoffs again. The offense doens't need another overhaul, but further reinforcements should help make up the gap in the standings in 2027.

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