What Pirates plan to add before 2026 season

“We have several weeks between now and Opening Day. It’s our job to use every day to hunt opportunities to get better,” general manager Ben Cherington said, per MLB.com. “I’m confident we will continue to add to the roster during that time.

“[We] would like to add back to pitching,” Cherington continued. “We’ve traded a little bit of pitching, so would like to add back to that. We’d still like to add to the position-player group. You look at the left side of the infield; obviously there are guys we like. [Jared] Triolo emerged [in] the second half of the year. He’s earned opportunity there. But if we could add someone on the left side of the infield, that’s something we’ll keep an eye out for. We’ll remain opportunistic in the outfield. See what comes our way. Hope to add to the pitching group in some form.”

Pittsburgh finished the 2025 season with a 71-91 record.

Pirates relied on their pitching in 2025

Pittsburgh had a solid rotation during the 2025 campaign. The ace was of course Paul Skenes, who went on to win the National League Cy Young. Skenes was joined by other pitchers including veteran Mitch Keller.

The Pirates traded Johan Oviedo this offseason, so Pittsburgh has some new faces in the rotation heading into 2026. The team is hoping for big things from Bubba Chandler, who came up from the minors late in the 2025 campaign.

Pittsburgh needs offense though. The team was last in home runs in MLB in 2025. The Bucs added some bats this offseason, including O’Hearn. Pittsburgh also traded for Brandon Lowe, in the hopes that the team can find runs for 2026.

Time will tell if these moves work out for the struggling Bucs.