The Pittsburgh Pirates are spending this offseason trying to figure out how to take that next step as a team.
The Pirates are coming off of their first winning season since 2018, so momentum is building, but they are still far from where they need to be. MLB.com contributor Will Leitch conducted recent power rankings where the Pirates were right in the middle at No. 15.
“Pirates fans were disappointed with this season, but it was still a team that had a winning record, with an offense that exceeded most expectations. If the lineup can thrive again, you should probably expect that rotation, most of all Paul Skenes, to be much better in 2027 — and it wasn’t that bad in the first place,” Leitch wrote.
The only National League teams that ranked ahead of the Pirates were the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers.
It appears that there are two full tiers of teams that rank ahead of the Pirates. For them to move into that Rachelon, one of two things will have to happen: they will need to considerably upgrade the roster through free agency, or they will need to count on their top prospects to continue growing. In an ideal situation, both of these things happen, which will give the Pirates a chance to enter the playoff conversation for the first time in a decade.
BD community, where do you think the Pirates rank in terms of the rest of the league? Let us know in the comments section below.