EXPLOSIVE: Pittsburgh Pirates’ SMART Moves SHAKE UP NL Central

Pittsburgh Pirates shake up the NL Central with aggressive offseason moves. Can Brandon Lau, Ryan O’Hearn, and Gregory Soto finally deliver division glory to Pittsburgh fans?nn[Gary Morgan] evaluates the evolving landscape in the NL Central, spotlighting the Pirates’ targeted signings and the quiet strategies of rivals like the Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, and Reds. Key topics include the impact of the Pirates’ additions on lineup certainty and bullpen strength, St. Louis’s sluggish rebuild, Chicago’s loss of Kyle Tucker, and Milwaukee’s pitching lab experiments. Major questions surround whether Cincinnati squandered a chance to build on their wildcard success and if Milwaukee can remain contenders without big spending.nnIs the NL Central more winnable than ever for the Pirates? Don’t miss this in-depth assessment of roster changes, divisional trends, and what it could mean for Pittsburgh’s playoff ambitions.

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Pittsburgh Pirates, NL Central, MLB News, MLB Rumors, Pirates News, Pirates Rumors, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Brandon Lau, Ryan O’Hearn, Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery, Jake Mangum, Just Nixon Garcia, Kyle Tucker, Shota Imanaga, Phil Maton, Hobie Milner, Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea, Hunter Dobbins, Akil Badu, Emilio Pagan, Caleb Ferguson, Nick Mears, Isaac Collins

7 comments

  1. Skenes was the catalyst in the Pirates wheeling and dealing, Gary. DK is reporting that their payroll now is roughly the same as it had been in 2025. Substantial additional spending starts from this day forward.

  3. Technically they STILL have money to spend, right? I’m wondering about the free agent pitching market; should we be further looking for a veteran arm, and if SS, who? We still have Paul, Mitchell and young arms that just cracked the ice. Am I wrong?

  4. I was thinking the whole time, it's all relative. Everyone's shopping lists aren't the same. See people, I watched the pod until the end and didnt just comment lol

  5. Spent my Christmas Eve morning digging around FanGraphs. Their 2026 projections for Reynolds and Cruz are statistical offensive improvements. The issue is they cannot play every OF in RF.

    I understand Cruz is learning CF in the majors. We are holding up crossed fingers that 2026 brings defensive improvement for His confidence.

    I am excited to see what Garcia and Mangum bring to LF. Billy Cook is a serviceable defender and at least looks like He knows what to do in the batter's box. And apparently Jack Suwinski knows how to play baseball when no one is watching. O'Hearn can provide rest day coverage in RF and on 1st. But I am betting on Him holding down the DH spot.

    In 1992 the outfield was Bonds LF, Van Slyke CF, Cole/McClendon RF. 2014 Marte LF, Cutch CF, Polanco/Tabita in RF. The Pirates have had winning seasons dividing games in the OF between multiple players. But at least one of the OF spots was held down by a solid defender. Who do you think has the best shot at stepping up and holding down an OF spot with solid defense? (DRS of 4+ would be a nice place to start!)

  6. Horwitz, Reynolds, Lowe, O'Hearn give half of a line up that is average or better. Cruz is better than what he shown in 2025. They need a SS or 3b that is non-negative defense and can hit closer to average than not Okamoto probably the best option that isn't going to cost 100m+. A Vet starter/swing man to give additional stability at least until Jones gets back.

    Unless there is major regression or injury bugs.. team looks to be .500 with a real possibility for a post season spot but probably not the division.

  7. Personally, I think they wanted Mangum as insurance for Cruz. I don't want this to happen, but if he regresses further, at least we know we can throw Jake in there and be a plus defensively, at least. Mangum also gets on base…a lot…. Something Cruz isn't as good at doing. I'm hoping Cruz actually lives up to his potential though. We could use his power.

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