Pirates’ offseason plan still depends on major bounce-backs from two stars

Everybody wants new toys. And honestly? Pittsburgh Pirates fans have earned the right to beg for them.

Every rumor about an external bat feels like oxygen after year after year of “internal improvements” and bargain shopping. Corner outfielders. First basemen. Left-handed power. A real DH. All of it. Yes. Please. Hurry.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: No matter how many bats the front office adds this winter, the 2026 Pirates will still go exactly as far as Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds take them.

Let’s start with the lightning bolt himself and the Pirates' superstar-in waiting: Cruz.

We all know what he looks like: 6-foot-7, exit velocities that sound like gunshots, and sprint speed that sits in the 99th percentile of Major League Baseball. His wheels alone change games. When he gets on base, pitchers panic. Infielders rush. Chaos follows.

But production hasn’t matched the hype — not consistently. Last season, Cruz posted a .200 average, a .298 on-base percentage and a slugging mark of .378. He also struck out in roughly one out of every three plate appearances. His 20 homers and 38 stolen bases aside, that's simply unacceptable. And that’s what makes 2026 fascinating… and terrifying.

Because if Cruz ever puts it together — if the whiffs come down, and the on-base skills come up —
we are suddenly talking about 30 homers, 40 steals, a .900+OPS and MVP-level impact. If Cruz pops, Pittsburgh becomes dangerous. If he plateaued? They’re just another team pretending to compete.

While Cruz represents untapped potential, Reynolds is supposed to represent consistency and reliability. But 2025 didn’t look like a franchise cornerstone season for Reynolds, who finished with a .245 batting average, a .318 on-base percentage and a .720 OPS. He had just 16 home runs and 73 RBI, some of his lowest totals in years. He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't what Pittsburgh is paying him to be.

Reynolds signed long-term in Pittsburgh to be the lineup’s anchor. The guy opposing teams fear. The hitter who makes mistakes hurt. Instead, he’s become… fine. And “fine” doesn’t change franchises.

This team cannot survive if Reynolds is merely good while Cruz remains inconsistent. One of them must become special — preferably both. Because the truth is brutal: If Reynolds plays like a borderline All-Star and Cruz plays like an unfinished project, no number of external signings fixes that.

Pirates can add bats, but they need Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds to be stars

Yes, the Pirates need offense. Badly. They need professional hitters. They need OBP. They need protection. They need adult at-bats. They need left-handed threats. They need experience.

But additions only work if the core detonates. If Cruz turns into a nightmare matchup every night, if Reynolds returns to being a crowd-silencing force, and if both stabilize the lineup, then those free agent or trade additions become weapons. Without that, they’re just decorations.

Pirates fans can chant for spending, and they’re right to. But the future isn't in the rumors –– it's in Cruz elevating from "exciting" to "unstoppable" and Reynolds reclaiming "star" instead of "steady." Everything else is just noise.

The Pirates can buy bats all they want, but the season rises or collapses on the shoulders of two men already in the clubhouse. And it's time for them to carry it.