NL Central Check-In: What’s Missing From The Pirates To Feel Legit?

Tonight on NS9LIVE!, we’re putting the Pittsburgh Pirates under the NL Central microscope. How do they stack up right now against the Brewers, Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals, and are they truly close enough to contend in 2026? We’ll debate whether the roster is “good enough” as-is or if the Pirates have to acquire at least one more bat to feel safe about being a real contender. We’ll also hit the latest roster churn, including Marco Luciano being claimed by the Baltimore Orioles and Tsung-Che Cheng being claimed by the Tampa Bay Rays on January 7, 2026.
Then we’ll wrap with a Discord mailbag and answer your questions live.

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1 comment

  1. Did you see MLB's first Power Rankings? They still have the Pirates in the bottom 25%. My question is not the top of the Starting Rotation, nor the reality that they've added much needed runs, but how is the bullpen? Also, how is the back end of the rotation, and the bottom of the lineup? In reality, the goal is 800 runs scored. The Pirates are starting from an MLB worst 583 runs last year. Even if Oneill Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Spencer Horwitz and Jake Mangum can take steps forward offensively, O'Hearn and Lowe can do what is expected of them and remain healthy, guys like Gonzales, Yorke, Davis, and Triolo can improve as well, the Pirates have really only gotten to the next lower tier offensively. They've got a long way to go to get to the middle of the pack which is 720 runs scored. Without Paul Skenes, the Pirates were a 56 win team last season. Can they really rely on the current bullpen and the young arms to fill out the rotation to get to 76 to 80 wins? Expecting more than that might be a little early and unrealistic. Of course, spring training offers eternal hope, but from my point of view, there's still a lot to do to get to the 86 to 89 wins needed to get to the playoffs.

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