Pirates’ new lineup balance highlights how broken the 2025 approach was

The Pittsburgh Pirates' offensive struggles hit a nadir in 2025.

Power, of course, was the big issue. Their 117 homers were 31 shy of the 29th-ranked team; that was the same difference as the 10th-place Tigers and the 20th-place Reds. For good measure, they also ranked dead-last in runs scored (583), as well as 29th in wRC+ (82). Calling the offense "pitiful" would probably have been an overstatement.

Luckily, it appears Ben Cherington got the message this winter. Through various means, he's added Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Jake Magnum to the roster, and it's possible that the Pirates aren't done yet.

Add it all up, and the Bucs have the makings of an impressive lineup. And perhaps no one is more thrilled about that than Spencer Horwitz.

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Horwitz, who was the headliner of the Pirates' 2024-25 offseason moves, will no longer have to be "the guy" after Pittsburgh added O'Hearn and Lowe to the lineup.

"I think adding those two guys, Brandon and Ryan, they're two middle-of-the-order guys and that adds a lot of depth to our lineup,” Horwitz said to Pirates reporter Alex Stumpf at PiratesFest. “I think last year I hit seventh twice. I might be starting the year hitting seventh. I might be starting the year hitting first or second. I don't think that's a hit on my ability, I think that's a blessing that we have so much talent now."

Horwitz, of course, was arguably the team's most important bat last season, as he led the team in wRC+ (117) and was one just four hitters to connect with more than 10 home runs. He should be a key piece of the lineup moving forward, but as he said, it'll be nice to remove some of the burden from his shoulders.

Instead, the burden can now be spread evenly between guys like Lowe, O'Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz. The former two combined for 48 home runs last year, and both left-handed sluggers have posted a wRC+ above 114 in each of the past three seasons.

Assuming one of Magnum (95 wRC+ in his MLB debut last year) or Garcia (116 wRC+ in the minors) can earn the starting left field job and run away with it, more than half the lineup should see an offensive upgrade over last year's output. And that's before accounting for top prospects like Konnor Griffin or AFL superstar Esmerlyn Valdez.

Truthfully, this is the brightest outlook the Bucs have had on a season in a decade. The pitching staff is led by Paul Skenes, while the lineup is deep and versatile. As Horwitz said, it's a blessing that the Pirates have so much talent now.