PITTSBURGH PIRATES
2025 finish: 71-91 (5th in NL Central)
Manager: Don Kelly (59-65, 2nd season)
Leading the front office: Ben Cherington, general manager (7th season)
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Largest luxury tax hit: RHP Mitch Keller ($15.4 million)
Top returning players: 1B Spencer Horwitz (1.7 fWAR), OF Oneil Cruz (1.6), 3B Jared Triolo (1.5)
Top returning starting pitchers: RHP Paul Skenes (6.5), Keller (2.5), RHP Braxton Ashcraft (1.6)
Top returning relievers: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1.6), RHP Dennis Santana (1.2), RHP Isaac Mattson (0.6)
ROSTER WATCH
Key additions: DH Marcell Ozuna (free agent), OF Ryan O’Hearn (free agent), 2B Brandon Lowe (trade), OF Jake Mangum (trade), OF Jhostynxon Garcia (trade), RHP Jose Urquidy (free agent), LHP Gregory Soto (free agent), LHP Mason Montgomery (trade), RHP Mike Clevinger (minors), RHP Chris Devinski (minors)
Key losses: RHP Mike Burrows (trade), OF Tommy Pham (free agent), OF Andrew McCutchen (free agent), LHP Marco Gonzales (free agent), RHP Colin Holderman (free agent), RHP Dauri Moreta (free agent), RHP Chase Shugart (trade)
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): SS Konnor Griffin (1), RHP Bubba Chandler (15), OF Edward Florentino (28), RHP Seth Hernandez (38)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Ryan O’Hearn warms up during a spring training baseball game, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Bradenton. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
KEEP AN EYE ON
RHP Paul Skenes finished third in NL Cy Young voting while winning Rookie of the Year in 2024 (1.96 ERA) and then led the majors with a 1.97 ERA while winning the Senior Circuit’s top pitching award last year. RHP Mitch Keller (4.19 ERA) was solid despite losing 15 games and RHP Bubba Chandler posted a 4.02 ERA over 31⅓ innings while making his MLB debut. The homegrown trio is something to build around as the Pirates look for their first winning season since 2018.
Top prospect Konnor Griffin, a 19-year-old shortstop, was the ninth overall pick out of high school in 2024, but he paired 21 homers with 65 steals and a .941 OPS in rising to Double-A Altoona last year and could find his way to the majors this season as the Pirates look to develop bats to rival their homegrown pitching.
Don Kelly was given the interim managerial job after Derek Shelton was fired after a 12-26 start. The Pirates improved under his watch and the interim tag was taken off toward the end of the year, although there has been no reporting for how long and for how much his contract is.
Fangraphs projection: 82.9 wins