Ranking the Pirates Biggest Offseason Needs
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates enter the most important offseason in their recent history and must capitalize to ensure they build better for 2027.
The Pirates made some good moves this past offseason and posted an 11-win improvement, clinching their first winning season since 2018 with an 82-80 record.
Pittsburgh's improvement as a team also includes the disappointment of missing the postseason for the 11th straight year, the second-longest streak in baseball.
The Pirates have a strong foundation, but there are a few areas where they must upgrade in 2026.
No. 1: Someone Who Can Hit Left-Handed Pitching
The Pirates struggled massively against left-handed pitching this season, posting an 18-33 record against left-handed starting pitching, compared to 62-47 against right-handed pitching.
They posted a .231/.303/.360 for an OPS of .663 against southpaw starters, the second-lowest slugging percentage, fourth-lowest OPS, seventh-lowest batting average and 11th-lowest on-base percentage.
Pittsburgh had a heavy left-handed hitting lineup, center fielder Oneil Cruz, first baseman Spencer Horwitz and Ryan O'Hearn and second baseman Brandon Lowe, but also right-handed hitters that struggled against southpaws.
The Pirates do have some strong batters against left-handed pitching, particularly Cruz, who went from hitting .102 in 2025 to a team-best slash line of .326/.374/.473 for an OPS of .847, following hard work to fix that issue this past offseason.
Pittsburgh also has switch-hitting outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who hit .276/.364/.443 for an OPS of .807 and whose 58 hits tied for sixth-most against lefties in 2026.
Pirates right-handed hitting rookies, catcher Rafael Flores Jr. and right fielder Esmeryln Valdez, both had success against left-handed pitching too.
It's not a fix that will necessarily come entirely internally, although definitely some will have to, as the Pirates should find a trade or sign a free agent to fix the issue.
The Pirates can't afford to struggle this much against southpaws in 2027, making this the most important fix.
No. 2: Right-Handed Power Bat
This goes in line with the need for stronger hitting against left-handed pitching, but the Pirates could use more power from their right-handed hitters.
Pittsburgh hit 76 home runs right-handed, the eighth-lowest in baseball in 2026, while hitting 110 left-handed, tied for sixth-most.
Valdez and Flores should help in this regard, 17 and 11 home runs, respectively, in 2026, but they are the only right-handed hitters with double-digit home runs, outside of catcher Henry Davis with 10.
Fellow rookie, shortstop Konnor Griffin, should increase his power next season, but the Pirates other right-handed options, infielder Nick Gonzales and utility man Jared Triolo, won't give them the power they need.
The Pirates will again hope for internal improvement, but there are some options on the trade/free agent market this offseason.
Guardians outfielder Jo Adell would be a perfect trade target for the Pirates' first two offseason needs, 23 home runs in 2026, plus batting .320/.372/.599 for an OPS of .971 with 14 home runs aganst left-handed pitching.
No. 3: Third Baseman
The Pirates don't have a true third baseman and have lacked a real option there since trading Ke'Bryan Hayes at the 2025 deadline.
Gonzales spent most of his time at third base in 2026, with 101 starts in 112 games played, but was poor defensively.
His -15 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -11 outs above average (OAA) were the worst marks of any third baseman with at least 850 innings played in 2026.
Triolo is strong defensively at third base, as the Gold Glover has posted +14 DRS and +11 OAA in his career.
His struggles at the plate, .237/.317/.335 for an OPS of .652 in his career, make him more of a bench player/utility man than Gonzales, who posted the sixth-highest batting average, .303, in baseball last season.
Trade targets for third base include Houston Astros' Isaac Paredes and Baltimore Orioles' Coby Mayo.
Both players struggle defensively, but less so than Gonzales, and have much better power than him.
Paredes hit 25 home runs in 2026, the second-most of his career, while Mayo hit a career high of 24 home runs and led baseball with 16 home runs against left-handed pitching.
No. 4: Left-Handed Starting Pitching
The Pirates have a strong rotation for next season: Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler, but all of them are right-handed.
This isn't necessarily the biggest problem, but the Pirates could benefit from adding a left-handed starting pitcher, which would give them depth if there is an injury, a likelihood over the course of a 162-game season.
Pittsburgh probably won't go big for a left-handed starting pitcher, but a low-cost veteran rental may not be the worst idea.
The Pirates flirted with re-signing southpaws in José Quintana and Tyler Anderson last offseason, but never did, and could do so going into 2027.
No. 5: High Leverage Relief Pitcher
The Pirates made the mistake last season of not investing enough into their bullpen, running it back with mostly the same group.
Right-handed pitchers Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana had massive regressions and the Pirates didn't fix the bullpen, truly, until the trade deadline.
The Pirates have their shutdown closer in left-hander Mason Montgomery and landed their setup man in right-hander Luke Weaver at the trade deadline, but high-leverage is always a need.
Pittsburgh has strong middle reliever options, right-handers in Lake Bachar and Yohan Ramírez, so adding another high-leverage arm should be a priority.
Former Pirates All-Star closer David Bednar is a free agent, and they could convince him to return and bring playoff baseball to his hometown, but the Pirates will have many options here.
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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.