PITTSBURGH — Christmas is the holiday where people come together and celebrate family and friends and even hope for a better season from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
There’s no baseball on during the offseason, but Spring Training is less than two months away and Opening Day for the Pirates is just three months away, taking on the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26.
A new season brings with it a new promise of a better team and great success, even before the first pitch has been thrown. Pirates fans have many wishes this Christmas, with some they hope coming earlier and others they’ll have more patience for.
Pirates Christmas Wish List No. 1: End the Postseason Drought
Pirates fans haven’t seen ‘Buctober” in more than a decade, as they’ve missed the playoffs the past 10 seasons.
They have also had seven straight losing seasons and along with the decade-postseason absence, makes them the second-longest streaks, just less than the Los Angeles Angels.
Pittsburgh has struggled as a franchise over the past three-plus decades, with 29 losing seasons out of the past 33 years and just three playoff appearances during that time.
The Pirates have a top pitching staff, led by National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, plus the top prospect in baseball in Konnor Griffin likely making his debut next season.
Fans have suffered long enough and it’s time for the team to finally come through and bring playoff baseball back to Pittsburgh in 2026.
Add Another Big-Time Bat
The Pirates have already had one of the most active offseasons in recent history, as they have made it their objective for improving their lineup next campaign.
Pittsburgh landed two important bats in trades, including second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays and top 100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon García from the Boston Red Sox.
Both are known for their power, with Lowe hitting 31 home runs last season and García having great promise in Triple-A.
The Pirates also added another hitter in free agent Ryan O’Hearn, signing him on a two-year, $29 million deal, with $500,000 in incentives based on plate appearances.
That signing is their first multi-year free agent signing since right-handed starting pitcher Iván Nova on a three-year, $26 million deal on Dec. 27, 2016. It is also their first free agent position player multi-year signing since John Jaso on a two-year, $8 million deal on Dec. 23, 2015, a decade prior.
Pittsburgh shouldn’t stop now and still has third base as a spot they could upgrade for next season.
Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto is someone the Pirates have targeted and hosted virtual meetings with, which would give the franchise a new market for them to operate in and also a consistent home run hitter.
Eugenio Suárez is an experienced major league power-bat, coming off a career-high 49 home runs in 2025 and would also fit in at third base.
The Pirates could also add someone like Marcell Ozuna, but after the addition of O’Hearn, spending the money on someone like Okamoto or Suárez is the best option for them going forward.
Pirates fans have already gotten excited with the deals so far and adding another top-hitter will help thet team in their quest for postseason baseball.
Paul Skenes Wins Another Cy Young
Skenes finished one of the best seasons in recent history last season with the Pirates, winning the NL Cy Young Award.
While having just a 10-10 record in 32 starts with the Pirates, Skenes posted a 1.97 ERA over 187.2 innings pitched, 216 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .199 opposing batting average and a 0.95 WHIP, along with a 10.36 K/9, a 2.01 BB/9 and a 5.14 K/BB.
He ranked amongst the best pitchers in baseball, with the lowest ERA, tied for the fourth-most strikeouts, the fourth-lowest WHIP, the sixth-lowest batting average and the 10th-most innings pitched, plus the fifth best K/BB, seventh best K/9 and ninth best BB/9.
Skenes became the first pitcher in MLB history to finish with 200+ strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA and still not have a winning record, since ERA became a stat in 1913.
He was the first qualified pitcher to post a sub-2.00 ERA in a season at 23 years or younger, since right-hander Dwight Gooden did so at age 20 with the Mets in 1985.
Skenes also made Pirates history, with his 216 strikeouts the most for a right-handed pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920). Only Ed Morris, who had 326 strikeouts in 1886 and 298 strikeouts in 1885, the most and second-most in a season in franchise history, has more than him.
Pirates fans want to see Skenes have an even better season, and of course, a much better record than he did in 2025.
Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Skenes struggled with run support throughout the campaign, infamously throwing a complete-game in a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 18.
If the Pirates add another bat and the ones they did bring n already have a strong showing, then Skenes should get not only a better record, but his second straight Cy Young Award with another great season from the mound.
Bounce Back Seasons for Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds
Both Pirates outfielders in Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds didn’t have the seasons they wanted in 2025
Cruz slashed .200/.298/.378 for an OPS of .676, with 94 hits in 478 at-bats, 20 home runs, 18 doubles, three triples, 38 stolen bases on 43 attempts and 64 walks to 178 strikeouts.
He had the lowest batting average of any qualified batter, and his on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS all ranked in the bottom 25 in the major leagues.
Reynolds finished with a career-low slash line of .245/.318/.402 for an OPS of .720. He also tied his career-low in home runs (16), which he had as a rookie in 2019, and his career-high 173 strikeouts ranked as the fifth most for a Pirates player in a season in franchise history.
He performed poorly from the plate early on in 2025, batting .194 by May 14, before getting back to the mid-.200 mark by the end of June.
Reynolds also had a terrible July, where he slashed .195/.222/.264 for an OPS of .488 with no home runs and just 17 hits in 87 at-bats.
While the duo struggled mightily in 2025, they now aren’t the main hitters in the team, with O’Hearn and Lowe with them, taking responsibility off of them to provide all the power and runs.
Cruz also had some great moments last season, tying for the NL lead with 38 stolen bases, excelling in the Home Run Derby, hitting the hardest home run in the Statcast era (since 2015) and became just the fourth Pirate to have a 20-30 season.
Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) slides into third base on an RBI triple against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Reynolds has had strong seasons, slashing .275/.344/.447 for an OPS of .791 in 156 games in 2024 and his best season coming in 2021, slashing .302/.390/.522 for an OPS of .912 in 159 games, earning All-Star nods both seasons.
If the two find their form throughout 2026, they’ll both have some great seasons for the Pirates, who will need their production for a shot at the postseason.
Pitching Staff Gets Even Better
The Pirates excelled from the mound last season, which gives fans hope that they’ll perform at a higher level in 2026.
Pittsburgh allowed the third least home runs (153), the fourth lowest WHIP (1.22), the seventh lowest team ERA (3.76), the seventh least walks (473) and the eighth lowest opposing batting average (.236).
The Pirates also led the MLB in shutouts with 19, two more than both the two second place teams in the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, who had 17.
Skenes leads a rotation, which includes the likes of veteran Mitch Keller and rookies in Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco and Bubba Chandler, plus the eventual return of Jared Jones from internal brace surgery.
Keller can take on a large innings load and pitch efficiently, while the rookies have shown great composure, attitude and pitch mixes that could make them aces in the future.
Chandler dominates with his fastball, Ashcraft has an incredible slider and Barco uses his sinker to great effect as well.
The Pirates bullpen also has some strong arms as well, with Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dennis Santana and the additions of lefty relievers in free agent Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery from the Rays in the trade for Lowe.
Pittsburgh could still benefit from adding a left-handed starting pitcher, such as Jose Quitnana and Tyler Anderson, who both pitched for them in recent seasons, and another right-handed relief pitcher or closer.
The Pirates also have new pitching coach Bill Murphy, who had great success with the Houston Astros and their staff, winning the World Series in 2022.
If the Pirates are going to make the postseason, they’ll need strong showings from their vast arsenal of arms.