The Pirates had baseball's best year-over-year improvement in terms of runs scored. After still failing to make the playoffs, it's clear that even more reinforcements are needed.
Brandon Glick of Rum Bunter reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates significantly improved their offense in 2026, yet still missed the playoffs. After finishing last in home runs and runs scored in 2025, Pittsburgh jumped to 13th with 186 home runs and sixth with 767 runs scored in 2026. Despite producing the largest year-over-year improvement across baseball, the writer argues that further upgrades are necessary to reach the postseason in 2027.
Key acquisitions and bounce-back seasons aided the team, with Brandon Lowe posting a 121 wRC+ alongside strong contributions from Ryan O'Hearn and Bryan Reynolds. However, a severe second-half slump saw the Pirates rank 29th in runs scored after the All-Star break, compounded by struggles from Marcell Ozuna and Henry Davis. Glick argues that general manager Ben Cherington must improve bench depth and add contact hitters this offseason.
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