Pirates’ September surge just eliminated Bob Nutting’s favorite offseason excuse

Bob Nutting handed Pittsburgh the measuring stick back in April. He said the Pirates should expect to chase the postseason and play important games down the stretch. He also said the words “process, time, perseverance and patience” to explain how they got here. Well, the calendar has caught up with the speech.

The Pirates earned a 4-3 win over the Cubs on September 13 that pulled them back to a 75-75 record. Since then, they've dropped two straight to the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers and they remain 7 1/2 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot with 12 left, so nobody is expecting a postseason in Pittsburgh. Getting into the low-to-mid 80s would still require the Pirates to stay hot through the final two weeks.

If these Pirates narrowly miss October, there’s no reason to claim devotion to seeing more of the young core they have. We’ve seen enough at this point.

Oneil Cruz owns an .845 OPS. Nick Gonzales is hitting .307. Esmerlyn Valdez (out for the season) launched 17 homers in 72 games. Konnor Griffin is back in the lineup, signed through 2034 and slashed .262/.315/.384 in his first 70 games. On the mound, Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones have combined for more than 560 innings.

It’s a legit foundation. Now, they still have holes. But the response to that should be pretty obvious. This offseason they need to focus on buying some help. Free agency and the trade market exist because serious contenders don’t wait for every prospect to develop perfectly at the same time.

A strong finish in 2026 should force Pirates to spend more in 2027

Nutting could point to the franchise-high $102 million Opening Day payroll, which increased by more than $14 million from the previous year. He probably should. Pittsburgh spent more, added legitimate major-league talent and won more. But that’s just a first step, it’s not a moral victory lap.

Brandon Lowe is by far the easiest place to start. Entering Thursday, he has 31 homers, 88 RBI and an .813 OPS. He’s also set to be a free agent after the season. Re-signing him would preserve a lineup that still needs another bat. Replacing him would just return them to the same starting point. Pittsburgh needs Lowe or comparable production at second base, followed by another proven hitter at first base or in the corner-outfield.

However, they shouldn’t stop at Lowe, the bullpen needs some attention, too. Gregory Soto and Kirby Yates (currently on the IL) are headed toward free agency, while Mason Montgomery can’t be expected to be the failsafe for the entire back end. Ben Cherington should add at least two relievers capable of handling high-leverage.

Pittsburgh’s young starters are the reason this window exists, but health has to factor into the plan. Ashcraft reached 165 1/3 innings before landing on the IL with a hip injury. Chandler has already worked 147 1/3 innings. Adding a durable veteran starter would protect those pitchers and keep one injury from leaving a gaping hole in the rotation. 

The front office needs to identify the missing pieces, and Nutting needs to provide the resources to improve the roster.

Finishing around 85 wins without October baseball would make the offseason assignment pretty simple: pay for the handful of wins the Pirates left on the table.

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