Pirates New Veterans See Similarities to Playoff Teams
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PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a few additions this offseason, looking for players who would bring winning baseball to the franchise and had experience doing so.
The Pirates signed first baseman/right fielder Ryan O'Hearn as a free agent to a two-year deal worth $29 million and traded for second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Both additions were a big deal, with O'Hearn as the first free agent the Pirates signed to a multi-year deal in almost a decad and Lowe coming in a three-team trade that required them sending out promising right-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros.
Each player has played well this season and they both see commonality between the previous playoff teams they were on and the Pirates in 2026.
Ryan O'Hearn Looking to Make Playoffs Again
O'Hearn joined the Pirates after spending most of his past three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and the tail end of 2025 with the San Diego Padres.
He revitalized his career in Baltimore, going from someone that struggled over five seasons with the Kansas City Royals, 2018-22, and enduring numerous times of being designated for assignment, to becoming a key member of a winning ball club.
The Orioles went 101-61 in 2023, winning the American League East Division and featuring in the ALDS, then earning a spot in the Wild Card in 2024 with a 91-71 record.
Baltimore traded O'Hearn to San Diego at the trade deadline in 2025 and they finished 90-72, earning a spot in the National League Wild Card.
O'Hearn became a player that averaged around 15+ home runs and an .800 OPS, including his first All-Star nod in 2025.
He sees all three teams he's played for the past few seasons with some differences, such as the Orioles having a great offense, the Padres having an elite bullpen and the Pirates having the best starting rotation, but that every great team has the determination to win every single time they take the field.
“So I mean, I think, every year, every team is just constructed differently," O'Hearn said to Pittsburgh Pirates On SI. "I think one common denominator that I’ve seen on every team that’s gone to the playoffs is a fearlessness, an elite motivation to win and shows up every day and forgets about the losses and continues to keep plugging and find yourself in a good spot in the end of it.”
O'Hearn has done his part for the Pirates in 2026, slashing .285/.340/.471 for an OPS of .811 in 73 games, with 78 hits, 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 51 RBI.
He has faith in this Pirates team and that they can achieve the same things the Orioles and Padres did, but that they just have to do what's needed in the second hafl of 2026.
“Yeah I think we can get better at things, but I think we definitely are a confident group and I think it’s all right there for us," O'Hearn said. "This second half has the potential to be really fun."
Brandon Lowe Powering Pirates to Buctober
The Pirates are getting everything they hoped for when they added Lowe, who has been the best power-hitting second baseman in all of baseball this seasonp.
Lowe has slashed .243/.319/.498 for an OPS of .817 in 81 games, with 77 hits, 19 doubles, 20 home runs and 57 RBI.
He leads all MLB second baseman in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage, while ranking second in OPS behind Luis Arraez of the San Francisco Giants.
Lowe spent eight seasons with the Rays from 2018-25, with five straight postseason appearances from 2019-23 and playing in three of them, 2019-21, which featured the 2020 World Series.
He sees the Pirates offense, which is one of the best in baseball, as a big similarity to the Rays teams he was on and the demeanor that all the hitters embody every game.
“I mean a lot of it," Lowe said to Pittsburgh Pirates On SI. "Good starting pitching staff, good arms. Honestly one of the biggest things, one-through-nine, and with the bench, the offensive side of the lineup is just incredible. It’s a really good offense to be a part of and just kind of the attitude of if you get punched in the face, we’re gonna punch back, not give up or sell at-bats and keep going after it.”
Lowe also echoed O'Hearn on the Pirates rotation, featuring the likes of Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones and that if the bullpen starts putting it together, they can really go on a run.
“Our starting staff is phenomenal," Lowe said. "We have some guys in the bullpen that have some incredible stuff and once everything starts to click and we’ll be really dangerous and win a lot of ball games.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.