Pirates Still Not Better Than Last Year; How Can That Change? (+)

We are just over a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and it’s hard to argue the Pittsburgh Pirates are any better than they were after finishing 76-86 and in last place in the division in 2024.

Sure, the Pirates seemed to have upgraded at first base when they acquired Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians. But the Pirates parted with a reliable big-league arm in Luis Ortiz– plus two prospects — to land him.

Ortiz isn’t the only pitcher the Pirates have lost, either. Veteran Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox earlier in the offseason. Fellow relievers Jalen Beeks and Ryan Borucki are both currently free agents.

The Pirates have made only one Major League free agent signing this offseason. Andrew McCutchen returned on a one-year deal worth $5 million.

Given the addition of Horwitz, the return of McCutchen and some other smaller deals, let’s examine the current state of the Pirates and what’s left to be done.