As we look around Major League Baseball, I understand that many aren’t big fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but I truly believe this organization has an opportunity to be above average in the near future if it simply does what it needs to do.
That doesn’t mean the Pirates have to go out and spend $500-plus million this winter, but if they can at least add a few bats, some competent relievers, and build from there, I actually think there’s a real chance for them to compete in the NL Central as soon as 2026.
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With noise about them increasing their payroll, it was interesting to hear Pirates president Travis Williams speak about the urgency within the organization and what they’re looking to accomplish.
According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, his goal and expectation is to win and make the postseason.
“Our goal and expectation is that we win and make the playoffs,” Williams told the Post-Gazette. “In order to do that, we have to be aggressive.”
“We think we missed the mark in being aggressive last offseason,” Williams said. “We didn’t add to the offense the way we needed to in order to support the pitching staff that we had.”
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One of the reasons he believes that is because of the young pitching staff Pittsburgh has.
“We know we have a really special pitching staff, one of the best, if not the best, in baseball. We have to support that with offense.”
But while I understand what he’s saying, I also want to acknowledge that until something actually gets done, it’s fair to question how much we can truly believe.
If the Pirates are going to talk about it without doing anything, nothing changes for anyone, and if anything, it makes them look worse.
Williams at least recognizes that.
“Talk is cheap,” Williams said. “We can’t just talk about it. We can’t just try. We’ve got to execute. We know that. That’s much of the work being done in the offseason.”
“There’s a real opportunity right now,” Williams added. “We’ve got to seize it.”
Let’s see what happens.