Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has had a busy offseason.
The Pirates boasted one of the most promising young pitching staffs in 2025, headlined by NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes, but needed to make improvements to their offense this winter.
Pittsburgh has done just that, adding the likes of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and highly-touted outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia.
MLB senior writer Jim Bowden of The Athletic included the Pirates on his list of the “7 most-improved teams so far this offseason” on Monday.
“The industry, media and fans alike have been clamoring for them to add more offense for the last three seasons and they finally did it this offseason, as GM Ben Cherington has been the most aggressive he’s been since he won a World Series running the Red Sox,” Bowden wrote. “The Pirates’ offense looks much more competitive than it did at the end of last season and they appear to be going from pretender to contender thanks to the solid work of their GM.”
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Pittsburgh was even reportedly in on NL MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber before the designated hitter re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Pirates haven’t made the playoffs since 2015 but could be a dark horse in 2026.
More MLB: Will Pirates Pivot To All-Star Slugger After Missing Out On Kazuma Okamoto?
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Featured image via Mike Watters/Imagn Images