Pirates have real lane to capitalize on early NL Central free agency moves, trade rumors

This early-offseason window has quietly created one of the clearest competitive openings the Pittsburgh Pirates have seen in years — a rare moment where their rivals’ instability and self-inflicted uncertainty could align perfectly with their own emerging foundation.

Each of the Pirates’ division rivals is dealing with serious turbulence. The Cubs have temporarily lost their best starter by declining their mutual option with Shota Imanaga, signaling that they may be retooling their rotation. Unless they make an aggressive splash, that’s a step back in pitching reliability – which happens to be the area where Pittsburgh has quietly grown the most.

The Milwaukee Brewers are shopping Freddy Peralta after already losing Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff to trades/injuries, dismantling their once-elite pitching core. They’re drifting toward a semi-rebuild on the fly, even after a playoff run.

The Cincinnati Reds exploring a Hunter Greene trade screams “roster reset” after internal frustration with volatility and injuries. It undercuts the young-arms-led rise they promised. And the St. Louis Cardinals being open to moving Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and other veterans indicates they’re scrapping another failed patch-job roster to start over.

That’s four clubs either trimming payroll or breaking apart their cores. For a Pirates team trending upward, that kind of collective disarray is gold. While other NL Central teams trade stars to start over, the Pirates can add around a young core that’s cheap, controllable and ready to take a step forward. For once, continuity and internal pitching depth represent the division’s most secure developmental pipeline.

Pirates have real opportunity to enter 2026 as NL Central's most stable, complete roster

Everybody knows that the Pirates aren't going to outspend anyone this offseason. But what they can do is out-stabilize their division rivals. If Ben Cherington finally spends even modestly this winter, Pittsburgh could seize the moment by targeting displaced veterans from division shake-ups. For example, an Imanaga replacement market could drive other mid-rotation arms into affordable range.

The Pirates could solidify their bullpen with controllable veterans to prevent late-inning collapses that cost them winnable series last year. They could also improve contact and power consistency, which are categories that decide divisional games. Even one mid-tier bat (a Jarren Duran-type fit, but with lower strikeouts and better defense) could swing their lineup from frustrating to functional.

This NL Central reset is temporary. Within two years, the Cubs and Cardinals will spend again, and the Reds’ next wave will arrive. But 2025-26 could be Pittsburgh’s window to sneak ahead, the same way Milwaukee did when the Cubs and Cardinals reset in 2018-19. If the Pirates act now – building around Paul Skenes, adding one credible bat and capitalizing on cheap pitching depth – they could feasibly enter 2026 as the division's most complete, stable roster.

While the Cubs, Brewers, Reds, and Cardinals are all rearranging deck chairs, the Pirates finally have a ship to steer. The only question left is whether Cherington and Bob Nutting see this for what it is – not just another “step forward,” but a genuine opening to flip the NL Central’s balance of power on its head.