Pirates pitchers reportedly pushing for Oscar Marin job change raises glaring question

When the Pittsburgh Pirates made the puzzling decision to let go of pitching coach Oscar Marin earlier this week, fans were left scratching their heads.

Strong pitching seems to be the one thing the Pirates have going for them right now. Their team ERA in 2025 was 3.76, which was seventh in the Major Leagues and Pittsburgh's best mark since 2015. Of course, that's thanks in large part to Paul Skenes, whose minuscule 1.97 ERA this season made him the runaway favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award.

They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So why would Pittsburgh dismiss the man in charge of the one part of the roster that is actually excelling?

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shared some insight Thursday on 93.7 The Fan, saying that player feedback played a role in the decision not to bring Marin back for 2026. The Pirates' pitchers, he said, "were not satisfied with the level of improvement they achieved" under Marin this season, ultimately leading to his dismissal.

If this is true – albeit somewhat confusing – it at least shows that the Pirates are taking player feedback into account when making organizational decisions. But it still leaves some larger questions unanswered.

Oscar Marin firing raises even more questions around Pirates coaching staff for 2026

The Pirates' pitchers weren't happy with the level of improvement they achieved? Fine. But if that's the case, there is no way that the Pirates' hitters were pleased with the level of improvement (or lack thereof) that they achieved.

Pittsburgh's offense finished dead last in the league in runs scored and home runs, among numerous other categories, in 2025. And yet, hitting coach Matt Hague still has a job.

This isn't necessarily to suggest that Hague deserved to be fired after one year on the job, but rather to highlight the organization's flawed prioritization. If the pitchers aren't happy with the current coach, then it's perfectly acceptable to make a change; but the Pirates' abysmal offensive output in 2025 was unacceptable and should prompt large scale personnel changes as well.

If the Pirates are going to leave the coaching staff untouched on the hitting side, then they need to bring in some established Major League bats this offseason to help them compete – not one-year stopgaps or reclamation projects, but real, proven MLB hitters. If not, then their elite pitching staff will only continue to go to waste.