The Pittsburgh Pirates are building buzz as a team on the rise entering the 2026 season.
Pittsburgh has followed a 71-91 campaign with an eventful offseason, acquiring several position players to address a lineup that ranked last in runs. Adding Ryan O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia could help the Pirates snap a decade-long playoff drought if a rotation led by Paul Skenes meets expectations.
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ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle considered that possibility when identifying the Pirates as one of five breakout teams for the upcoming season. The writer likened them to the 2024 Kansas City Royals, who made the playoffs with 86 wins after going 56-106.
“Do the Pirates have a Royalesque 30-game leap in them? Doubtful,” Doolittle wrote. “But half that gets them into the wild-card conversation.”
Doolittle set Pittsburgh’s breakout target at 83 wins, which would give the franchise their first winning record since 2018. He ascribed a 29 percent probability of reaching that goal.
The Royals signed veteran pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha before taking their leap in 2024. They also had an MVP-caliber hitter in Bobby Witt Jr., but top Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin has drawn comparisons to the star shortstop.
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General manager Ben Cherington has also indicated that the Pirates will continue to add. They could land a significant power boost by signing third baseman Eugenio Suárez.
The Pirates may not be the only National League Central club poised for improvement. Doolittle also highlighted the Chicago Cubs as a breakout candidate alongside the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox.
More Pirates: MLB Scout Sets Big Expectations For Pirates Prospect Konnor Griffin
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