Did Pirates Have the Best Offseason in National League Central?
The same three words were spoken again and again by Pittsburgh Pirates president Travis Williams during a media scrum shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 season.
“Period. Full stop.”
The three words were in reference to the organization’s goal of making the postseason for the first time since 2015. But in order to do that, general manager Ben Cherington had plenty of work to do this offseason, including attempting to revive baseball’s worst offense.
Cherington seems to have done just that, adding several position players who have been All-Stars at least once in their careers among a number of other moves to try and take the Pirates from last place in the National League Central to the playoffs.
The Pirates acquired second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa bay Rays. Lowe, who was an All-Star for the second time in his career last season, belted 31 home runs and drove in 83 runs in 134 games. Ryan O’Hearn was signed to a two-year, $29 million deal after an All-Star season split between the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres in which he finished with a .281/.366/.437 batting line with a career-high 17 home runs and 63 RBI. Additionally, the Pirates signed veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who hit 21 homers for the Atlanta Braves last year and finished fourth in the National League MVP race in 2024.
The trio of players are the biggest additions the Pirates have made in recent history, and certainly under Cherington’s watch. But there were several other players Pittsburgh acquired who rounded out a strong offseason.
In the trade that netted them Lowe, the Pirates also acquired outfielder Jake Mangum and lefty reliever Mason Montgomery. Mangum has the perfect profile for a fourth outfielder with a strong defensive skillset, a contact-first approach and speed. Montgomery’s left arm is electric and his metrics indicate he could be due for some positive regression in his second full big-league season.
The Pirates added another lefty reliever in Gregory Soto, who signed a one-year deal in free agency. Soto, who was a two-time All-Star from his days as closer of the Detroit Tigers earlier in his career, figures to pitch late in games and in high-leverage spots for the Pirates.
Another addition of note is outfielder Jhostynxon García, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox. García is off to a nice start this spring, and though he may start the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, will serve as important depth and has some needed power.
And finally, the Pirates signed veteran right-hander José Urquidy, who is in competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, to a one-year deal.
Outside of the free agents the Pirates chose not to retain, their only real losses were starters Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo, both of whom were traded for offensive help.
It was an unusually active winter for the Pirates, who have gotten kudos from around the league for their efforts. But did they have the best winter among their division foes?
They certainly put themselves in a better position to win than the St. Louis Cardinals, who entered a rebuild mode under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. The Cardinals traded a number of key veterans from their roster, including right-hander Sonny Gray, third baseman Nolan Arenado, first baseman Willson Contreras and utilityman Brendan Donovan.
St. Louis’ most notable addition to their roster was righty starter Dustin May. They also made several middling additions to the bullpen but did virtually nothing for the lineup.
The Milwaukee Brewers subtracted more than they added. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff is back after accepting a qualifying offer, but their most notable transaction was trading fellow starter Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets for a pair of promising young players.
Outside of those two moves, it was a relatively quiet winter in Milwaukee.
The Cincinnati Reds added some nice pieces but also lost a handful of valuable contributors from last year. They fended off a real effort from the Pirates to sign slugger Eugenio Suárez. Former Pirates reliever Caleb Ferguson signed and will be joined in the bullpen by Emilio Pagán, who re-upped after converting 32 saves last season.
Among the Reds losses are right-hander Nick Martinez, infielder Gavin Lux, outfielders Austin Hays and Miguel Andujar and a few others.
The Chicago Cubs were responsible for the biggest splash in the division when they signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year deal. They also boosted their rotation by acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. Starting pitcher Shota Imanaga will be back after a somewhat surprising decision to accept a qualifying offer.
But while the Cubs made the biggest addition of any National League Central team, they also had the biggest loss. Outfielder Kyle Tucker signed a huge deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers after spending the ’25 season on Chicago’s North Side.
Given everything that transpired this offseason, the ever-so coveted title of offseason winner (sarcasm) is either the Pirates or the Cubs. Both teams got better. The Cubs had the biggest addition but also the biggest subtraction. The Pirates made several solid moves but nobody on Bregman’s level. They also didn’t lose very much.
For the Pirates, only one question matters when assessing their offseason. Did they do enough to continue to play after the final out is recorded in the 162nd game of the season?
That’s the goal after all — the return of Buctober. Period. Full stop.
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