The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2025-2026 offseason was unlike most offseasons. The Bucs were very active. They went out and acquired legitimate Major League hitters who will help them this year. The Pirates improved many of the positions they struggled with the most in 2025, and then some. Ben Cherington made multiple trades and signed notable free agents. Many of the players he acquired were either proven hitters with a solid track record or young and controllable players with high ceilings. With spring training kicking off, let’s go through and see how the Pirates improved their worst positions from 2025.
Jun 5, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington speaks on the phone in the dugout before the Pirates host the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pirates Improved on Their Three Worst Positions From Last Season
Left Field
Left field was a problem for the Pirates last year. Their solution to the problem at that point was Tommy Pham. While Pham provided a solid glove, he was an overall below-average bat. As a unit, Pirates left fielders hit a meager .223/.299/.326 with a 73 wRC+, and -1.3 fWAR. They had the worst OPS, wRC+, and were second to last in fWAR. Only the Chicago White Sox’s left fielders were less valuable.
The main addition they made was signing Ryan O’Hearn. O’Hearn moves Bryan Reynolds over to left field, so his presence directly affects the position. He turned in one of his best seasons at the plate, batting .281/.366/.437 with 17 home runs. O’Hearn only struck out 20% of the time with a strong 10.7% walk rate. Overall, he had a .349 wOBA with a 127 wRC+ over 544 plate appearances. O’Hearn’s right field defense isn’t particularly strong, with -11 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average in 634 career innings at the position. However, he has never consistently played the position over a full season.
Ryan O’Hearn at Pirate City on Sunday for his first workout with the Pirates after signing a two-year, $29 million free agent contract. pic.twitter.com/H06W7JDRSs
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 15, 2026
O’Hearn wasn’t the only player the Pirates added to help their outfield situation. They also acquired Jhostynxon GarcĂa from the Boston Red Sox. GarcĂa spent most of his season in the minor leagues. Last year, he hit .267/.340/.470 with a 116 wRC+. The young outfield prospect also hit 21 home runs over 489 plate appearances. GarcĂa is a potential power/speed threat with quality corner outfield defense.
Then there is Jake Mangum. Mangum turned in a .296/.333/.368 slash with a 95 wRC+ in his rookie season. While his overall production at the plate was slightly below-average, he was a plus fielder and fantastic baserunner. Mangum had +3 DRS and +6 OAA while seeing playing time between all three outfield positions. He also used his 91st percentile sprint speed to swipe 27 bases. Between O’Hearn, Mangum, and GarcĂa, the Pirates should get some better hitting and defense in their outfield corners.
Designated Hitter
Let’s get one thing straight: every Pirates fan loves Andrew McCutchen. He’s one of the best players in franchise history, and one of the most likable players in baseball right now. But statistically, this is one area in which the Pirates improved. Last year, Pirates designated hitters were in the bottom 10 among all teams in OPS, wRC+, wOBA, and fWAR.
The Pirates’ attempt to get more offense from the designated hitter spot was to sign Marcell Ozuna. Last year, Ozuna turned in a solid .232/.355/.404 line with a .334 wOBA, and 114 wRC+. He hit 21 home runs while posting a .168 isolated slugging percentage. Ozuna struck out at a 24.3% rate, but made up for it with a career-high 15.8% walk rate.
However, there’s a good chance Ozuna will be better in 2026. He had a .354 xwOBA and .448 xSLG%. The DH had the 21st and 14th largest gap between his expected stats and his bottom line, respectively. Ozuna was also one of baseball’s best hitters in 2023 and 2024. Between the two seasons, he went yard 79 times with a 148 wRC+ and a .916 OPS. The slugger played through a hip injury in 2025 that began affecting him at the start of June. Before the injury, he had a 155 wRC+ through his first 241 plate appearances.
Marcell Ozuna today here in Bradenton, Fla. on being one of a few veteran bats the Pirates acquired over the offseason:#DKPS #Pirates #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/MmuDCJaJ85
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) February 16, 2026
Everyone is going to miss Andrew McCutchen, assuming the Pirates don’t end up re-signing him. Ozuna has some massive shoes to fill since he’ll take McCutchen’s DH role. However, Ozuna will certainly help the Pirates score some much-needed runs. They need power, and Ozuna certainly brings it. If his hip is fully recovered, the Pirates could get a 30-home-run hitter who reaches base at a well-above-average rate.
Shortstop
Isiah Kiner-Falefa served as the Pirates’ shortstop for most of last season. He was traded at the deadline, and Pittsburgh used a mix of infielders for the rest of the year. Overall, Pirates shortstops only hit .248/.300/.333 with a 77 wRC+. They were one of only three teams whose shortstops had a sub-.100 isolated slugging percentage. Their +1.1 fWAR was also the third worst in baseball.
The thing is, the Pirates haven’t done anything to improve at shortstop. They didn’t sign a notable free agent or make a significant trade for someone who can play up the middle. However, they have an opportunity to make the biggest improvement of any position on any team in 2026. It’s as simple as adding Konnor Griffin to the Opening Day roster.
Griffin ascended to become the consensus number one prospect in baseball last year. He hit .333/.415/.527 with a .437 wOBA, and 165 wRC+ over 563 plate appearances. Griffin went yard 21 times with a .194 ISO. He was a demon on the basepaths, swiping 65 bases. The middle infielder only struck out 21.7% of the time while walking at an 8.9% rate. The most impressive part of his season is that he started the year in Bradenton and ended it in Altoona. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Griffin doesn’t even turn 20 until late April this year.
Konnor Griffin is hitting .480 with a 1.286 OPS during his 11-game streak, with 21 total bases since his High-A debut, second most in the league. pic.twitter.com/ipRqxFS3U0
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) June 17, 2025
Griffin should be the Pirates’ Opening Day shortstop. Baseball America grades all five of his tools as plus or better. As of right now, FanGraphs pencils in Nick Gonzales at the position. Gonzales struggled last year and has mostly played second base since making his MLB debut. This would be the easiest position upgrade the Pirates could make from 2025.
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Main Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports