Suddenly, Pirates Are Pulling All the Right Strings
Let’s go back in time and revisit everything that went wrong for the Pittsburgh Pirates around this time last year.
There was that dreadful opening series in Miami in which the Pirates lost three out of four games — all in walk-off fashion — against the Marlins. After then dropping two of three to the Tampa bay Rays, the Pirates returned home with a 2-5 record.
Last year’s home opener didn’t have its usual feel-good vibe about it. Before the game started, there was a plane flying over the stadium with a banner urging owner Bob Nutting to sell the team. There were several boos during pregame introductions when players and coaches trotted up the dugout steps and took their places on the third base line.
Then of course, there was the Bucco Brick debacle and the Surfside advertisement fiasco on the Clemente Wall that understandably irked fans.
A matter of weeks after the season began, the Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton which signaled the white flag. At the end of the year, the Pirates found themselves once again in the all-too-familiar cellar of the National League Central with a 71-91 final record.
After the season ended, general manager Ben Cherington and president Travis Williams said the team was going to go into the offseason with the mindset of pushing for the playoffs in 2026. As expected, those comments came with much skepticism.
The Pirates, historically, have never operated with much urgency. But this offseason, that started to change, at least relatively to what they’ve done in previous winters.
Pittsburgh made several notable additions and entered the season with a record payroll — not that the bar to make that statement was all that high.
Two of the most notable additions the Pirates made this offseason were Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, and through the very, very early portion of the schedule, both players have had a big impact.
Lowe has hit three home runs and has driven in four runs through five games. He’s also batting .333 (6 for 18) with more walks (four) than strikeouts (three). O’Hearn, meanwhile, has eight hits in 19 at-bats, a pair of home runs and six RBI. He also has the same strikeout and walk totals as Lowe.
Marcell Ozuna hasn’t had much success to start the year after signing a one-year, $12 million deal (plus a mutual option for next season). But the veteran slugger has a strong track record and it’s far too early to pull the plug on him.
While the offseason was encouraging and the early returns are mostly positive, the best decisions the Pirates have made of late both came on Thursday — the eve of the home opener.
The Pirates announced on social media that they’re promoting top prospect Konnor Griffin for his MLB debut. The timing will add even more excitement to what will be a sellout crowd and one of the more anticipated openers in Pittsburgh in quite some time.
Griffin flew threw the minor leagues last season, reaching Double-A in his first professional season after he was selected with the ninth pick in the 2024 draft. It took him all of five games with Triple-A Indianapolis to be deemed ready for a promotion with the expectation he will one day be a franchise cornerstone.
But not only did the Pirates bring up their top prospect, they are close to ensuring he will remain in a black and gold uniform for the foreseeable future.
The Pirates and Griffin are reportedly working to finalize a nine-year, $140 million extension that will make him the highest-paid player in franchise history. The contract, once pen is put to paper, will buy out his six years of club control plus three potential free agent years. Yeah, tacking on the ninth year is a huge deal.
The deal is a risk given that Griffin has yet to step on a big-league diamond. But if can’t-miss prospects don’t exist, Griffin is as close as can be. It’s a gamble for the Pirates but a calculated one. For Griffin, he will get immediate financial security and reach free agency while still in his prime.
Whether or not the Pirates will eventually earn a playoff spot this year is still a mystery. The regular season isn’t even 4% of the way complete yet. But for now, they’ve backed up their words of wanting to compete and are operating like a competent organization — a big step in the right direction.
That’s how you build excitement for a home opener, and perhaps an entire season.
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Can’t wait to see this kid in action!