National League Central Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates

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The Pirates finished with a 71-91 record in 2025, finishing dead last in the N.L. Central. They finished dead last in runs per game with 3.60, while the pitching staff was fifth in the league, only giving up 3.98 runs per game. The front office knew this, and so the offseason was primarily focused on getting bats to shore up the lineup.

Pirates Notable Moves

Three notable bats were acquired this offseason. In free agency, the Pirates signed 1B/OF Ryan O'Hearn to a two-year deal and signed DH Marcell Ozuna to a one-year deal. O’Hearn played for both Baltimore and San Diego last year, hitting .281/.366/.437 in 144 total games. O’Hearn was good against both righties and lefties, and he should be in the lineup every day. As for Ozuna, the 35-year-old comes to Pittsburgh after six years in Atlanta. He last played outfield in 2023, which limits the roster's overall positional flexibility. However, his bat is still important, even after a down 2025 season in which he hit .232/.355/.400 with 21 home runs. Ozuna will help fill the production void left by the departure of Pirates legend Andrew McCutchen to the Rangers. These two should vastly improve the Pirates’ ability to score runs this year.

The other major bat was acquired via trade, as Brandon Lowe came over from the Rays in a three-team trade with Tampa Bay and Houston. The Pirates also acquired outfielder Jake Mangum and lefty reliever Mason Montgomery in the deal, giving them more depth in the outfield and the bullpen. Back to Lowe: he is a two-time All-Star who hit .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs. Lowe will be the everyday second baseman for the Pirates as he looks to continue the sustained success he had in his eight years with the Rays.

Other acquisitions included a trade with the Red Sox for outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia in a five-player trade that sent Johan Oviedo to Boston ,among others. Garcia is currently the no. 6 prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system and could be in line for a bench outfield spot in 2026. Besides that, the Pirates signed pitchers Jose Urquidy and Gregory Soto. Urquidy should compete for the 5th spot in the rotation, while Soto will be a solid left-handed reliever after a tough second half with the Mets post-trade deadline.

Projected Pirates Lineup (MLB.com)

1. Oneil Cruz, CF
2. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
3. Bryan Reynolds, LF
4. Marcell Ozuna, DH
5. Ryan O'Hearn, RF
6. Brandon Lowe, 2B
7. Joey Bart, C
8. Jared Triolo, 3B
9. Nick Gonzales, SS

The lineup looks significantly better overall with the additions I mentioned above. In terms of the infield, Jared Triolo is one of the better defensive third basemen in baseball, with a Fielding Run Value of +5, which was good for the 81st percentile in baseball. Nick Gonzales will look to improve offensively this season with a switch to shortstop after primarily playing second base. Waiting behind him is the number one prospect in baseball, Konnor Griffin, and while there is a chance Griffin makes the Opening Day roster, Gonzales will need to perform to keep his starting spot. The right of the infield is stronger, with Lowe at second and Horwitz at first. Horwitz was the Pirates’ best hitter last year in terms of OPS and should be a mainstay in the top half of the lineup.

As for the outfield, this lineup construction will have it very limited defensively. Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds didn’t grade out well for the Pirates last year, while O’Hearn is better as a first baseman. Look for Mangum to come off the bench as a defensive substitution in later innings; he should help the group’s overall defense as well and will get a fair amount of playing time with injuries and off days. 

As for catchers, Joey Bart and Henry Davis will be the catching duo again this year. Bart was a better hitter than Davis last year, so look for him to start more of the games. Davis will look to live up to the hopes the Pirates had for him when they took him number one overall back in the 2021 draft.

Projected Pirates Rotation (MLB.com) 

1. Paul Skenes, RHP
2. Mitch Keller, RHP
3. Bubba Chandler, RHP
4. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP
5. José Urquidy, RHP

The rotation is the strength of the team, as reigning Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes leads the way and will look to add to his growing awards collection. Behind him, Mitch Keller has been an All-Star before and is a very consistent arm for the Bucs. Bubba Chandler is the no. 2 prospect in the Pirates system and should grow into a good MLB arm, and Ashcraft will look to build on his very good, though limited, 2025 season. Urquidy will look to get back to his former form, but he may just be a placeholder until Jared Jones returns later in the year. Cameron Mlodzinski will look to get starts as well.

While the Pirates have added offensive talent to their lineup, it will be interesting to see the effects of the “more offense, less defense” plan the Pirates are seemingly going for here. However, with pitching talent this good, keep an eye on the Pirates as a team that could sneak into the playoffs if the bats hit as projected.

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