{"id":462098,"date":"2026-02-11T11:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/462098\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T11:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:54:10","slug":"pirates-get-huge-bump-in-2026-playoff-odds-after-stellar-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/462098\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Get Huge Bump In 2026 Playoff Odds After Stellar Offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday marks the official start of spring training for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are coming off their most exciting offseason in years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After assembling one of the best pitching staffs in baseball last year, the Pirates focused on improving their offense this winter. While they missed out<\/a> on a few of their top targets like Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suarez, they still landed three former All-Stars in Brandon Lowe, Ryan O\u2019Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, giving their lineup a major boost<\/a>. <\/p>\n

They also acquired former top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia from the Boston Red Sox, who has star potential. Throw in Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and the expected debut of MLB\u2019s No. 1 prospect<\/a> Konnor Grifin, and Pittsburgh\u2019s offense looks legitimately dangerous this year.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Pirates are in good shape on the mound after ranking seventh in ERA last year. Reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes leads a staff full of young, talented arms.<\/p>\n

Pirates preseason playoff odds since 2016:<\/p>\n

2016: 28.4%
2017: 15.5%
2018: 8.8%
2019: 10.1%
2020: 8.8%
2021: 0.4%
2022: 0.9%
2023: 6.5%
2024: 16.2%
2025: 20.3%
2026: 42.5%<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nick Gonzales\u2019s Mustache (@SteelCityBucs30) February 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Bolstered by a record-high payroll, Pittsburgh has its most complete team in years. FanGraphs agrees<\/a>, giving the Pirates their highest preseason playoff odds<\/a> since the site started publishing them in 2016.<\/p>\n

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FanGraphs gives Pittsburgh a 42.5% chance of making the postseason this year. Not only is that the second-highest mark in the NL Central behind the Chicago Cubs (62.1%), but it\u2019s also more than double last year\u2019s preseason odds of 20.3%.<\/p>\n

The Pirates also have the second-best odds to win the division at 24.0%, behind the Cubs\u2019 43.7%.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s surprising to see Pittsburgh ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, who won 26 more games than them last year. Still, it\u2019s encouraging that FanGraphs\u2019 projection model believes the Pirates are a playoff-caliber team<\/a>, giving them a good chance to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.<\/p>\n

More Pirates: What Does Reported Marcell Ozuna Deal Mean For Pirates Franchise Legend?<\/a><\/p>\n

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