PiratesFest Reaction Show: The Good, The Weird, and What Matters
Tyler and Nathan recap everything from PiratesFest and break down what actually mattered from the day.
They talk about how smooth the event went this year after the incidents that happened last year, plus the fan Q&A sessions with Ben Cherington, Don Kelly, and Travis Williams. From Andrew McCutchen’s future to the organization’s commitment to winning, there was no shortage of real topics that fans actually care about.
They dig into Oneil Cruz’s 2026 outlook, the optimism they felt from fans in the room, and Travis Williams’ comments about accountability. They also discuss whether Ben Cherington is actually in on Eugenio Suárez and what Don Kelly meant when he said multiple players need to take real steps forward in 2026 for this team to be good.
A full PiratesFest reaction show with takeaways, quotes, and what it all means for the 2026 Pirates.
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10 comments
I was there but didn't see yall. Tho there was a butt ton of people too lol
Cherington should be a politician. I feel like im watching a fox news guest when he speaks.
He just signed suwinski
Is that improvement!?
Fire Cherington. Sell the team Bob.
About McCutcheon what my projection is if they can sign Suarez then they don’t really have any room to put McCutcheon on the roster, but if Suarez falls through then McCutcheon is the backup plan because they really need a right handed bat on this team
Cutch is the last resort if everything else falls through. Who would you rather have Marcel Azula and 25 -30 home runs or Cutch? Everyone is hoping that we can sign Suarez and that would make the need to spend $5 million on Cutch ridiculous when it could go towards another starter or reliever. Cutch is not going to come back here and settle for around 150 at bats without causing problems and being a headache to Donnie Kelly. He may say he will, but he thinks he can still be a 400 bat player which he isn’t.
The Pirates' situation with McCutchen is a classic "you can't have your cake and eat it too". Pirates fans were demanding that he return, but also demanding that the Pirates spend money meaningfully and with a commitment to win. McCutchen wants to play every day. Unfortunately, with the additions they made, they do not have a spot for him to play every day. He is a close to 39-year-old player and is objectively declining. What do you want more? A team that commits to winning baseball or brings back an aging veteran who is declining.
Ben said that as long as players are available via a mix of trade or free agency that getting one player does not exclude obtaining another. So, he said it isn't an either they pick up a pitcher or a position player, it could be both.
“as long as someone is still a free agent, it means we have a chance” -Cherington, saying there’s a chance!
Jared Triolo is one of the WORST hitters EVER!!! We go into the season with him as a starter we are FUCKED IN THE BACKYARD!!!