The Pirates Are Four Steps Away From Being A Juggernaut

[Talkin' Baseball]

Seriously. The biggest thing holding the Pirates back is their upper management/ownership. The Pirates have 9 starting pitchers ready to start in the majors now. I'm going to say at least 4 of them have a ceiling higher than the highest pitcher ceiling the Cardinals have. They also have Seth Hernandez waiting in the wings. They have the #1 prospect in baseball, Konnor Griffin. I won't go through one by one, but they have other players working their way up. I'm saying in four steps the Pirates could set themselves up to be a top-tier team for 10 years. Here are the four steps:

1) Lean into their strength in pitching and back them up with an elite defense. O'Neill Cruz is a lazy butcher in CF. Get an elite defender there. Here's how; trade Mitch Keller (9.2 BTV) to Baltimore for Enrique Bradfield, Jr. (9.3 BTV). Bradfield profiles a lot like Victor Scott II. On the 20/80 scouting scale he rates 50 for hit tool, 80 for speed, and 70 for defensive ability. Put someone out there who can really run everything down. The Orioles have Colton Cowser in CF and need pitching.

2) Continue to solidify the defense up the middle. Trade O'Neill Cruz (25.6 BTV) to the Royals for C Blake Mitchell (17.9 BTV) and perhaps a lesser player. Pirates catching is woeful and Mitchell would be a significant long-term upgrade. On the 20/80 scale Mitchell grades out at hit 50, power 60, arm 70, field 55. The Royals are desperate for outfielders who will provide offense.

These two moves along with Konnor Griffin at SS and Termarr Johnson at 2B makes them solid up the middle for years. They have Triolo at 3B, which is fine for now and Bryan Reynolds in RF. They have a power hitting top 100 prospect, Edward Forentino who has played 1B and all three OF spots who is a few years away. They need a 1B and LF to round out the diamond.

3) Here's where I get into trouble. After the 2027 season, trade Paul Skenes. They will not re-sign him. At that time Seth Hernandez will be ready to join the staff and even without Skenes they would have a rotation that could be top 3 in all MLB. Skenes would bring back at least 4 quality players, and at least two really good players. One of them needs to be a top notch, power-hitting corner OF.

4) The ownership needs to rehabilitate their reputation. This is probably the most difficult move of the 4. A new CBA may allow them the opportunity to do this. They may no longer get revenue sharing money in the same way. There may be a payroll floor. There may be a cap that allows them to retain players better. Whether these things happen or not, they need to take it upon themselves to do more than the bare minimum. Extend some of their players for real contracts. Be a place that other players take seriously.

It takes 1-2 years for these steps to take hold, but they could be sound and set for years if they would do them. Pittsburgh has perhaps the most beautiful stadium in baseball, their fans will support a winner. It would be a shame- no, it would be a crime to waste the young talent they have. That said, they might.

Let the comment fly.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Strong write. With nine starters, 2-3 will be traded. That furthers their team development.

They have a lot to make up, with a Milwaukee regression, and a Pirates rise, they should significantly close the gap.

[craviduce]

Seriously. The biggest thing holding the Pirates back is their upper management/ownership. The Pirates have 9 starting pitchers ready to start in the majors now. I'm going to say at least 4 of them have a ceiling higher than the highest pitcher ceiling the Cardinals have. They also have Seth Hernandez waiting in the wings. They have the #1 prospect in baseball, Konnor Griffin. I won't go through one by one, but they have other players working their way up. I'm saying in four steps the Pirates could set themselves up to be a top-tier team for 10 years. Here are the four steps:

1) Lean into their strength in pitching and back them up with an elite defense. O'Neill Cruz is a lazy butcher in CF. Get an elite defender there. Here's how; trade Mitch Keller (9.2 BTV) to Baltimore for Enrique Bradfield, Jr. (9.3 BTV). Bradfield profiles a lot like Victor Scott II. On the 20/80 scouting scale he rates 50 for hit tool, 80 for speed, and 70 for defensive ability. Put someone out there who can really run everything down. The Orioles have Colton Cowser in CF and need pitching.

2) Continue to solidify the defense up the middle. Trade O'Neill Cruz (25.6 BTV) to the Royals for C Blake Mitchell (17.9 BTV) and perhaps a lesser player. Pirates catching is woeful and Mitchell would be a significant long-term upgrade. On the 20/80 scale Mitchell grades out at hit 50, power 60, arm 70, field 55. The Royals are desperate for outfielders who will provide offense.

These two moves along with Konnor Griffin at SS and Termarr Johnson at 2B makes them solid up the middle for years. They have Triolo at 3B, which is fine for now and Bryan Reynolds in RF. They have a power hitting top 100 prospect, Edward Forentino who has played 1B and all three OF spots who is a few years away. They need a 1B and LF to round out the diamond.

3) Here's where I get into trouble. After the 2027 season, trade Paul Skenes. They will not re-sign him. At that time Seth Hernandez will be ready to join the staff and even without Skenes they would have a rotation that could be top 3 in all MLB. Skenes would bring back at least 4 quality players, and at least two really good players. One of them needs to be a top notch, power-hitting corner OF.

4) The ownership needs to rehabilitate their reputation. This is probably the most difficult move of the 4. A new CBA may allow them the opportunity to do this. They may no longer get revenue sharing money in the same way. There may be a payroll floor. There may be a cap that allows them to retain players better. Whether these things happen or not, they need to take it upon themselves to do more than the bare minimum. Extend some of their players for real contracts. Be a place that other players take seriously.

It takes 1-2 years for these steps to take hold, but they could be sound and set for years if they would do them. Pittsburgh has perhaps the most beautiful stadium in baseball, their fans will support a winner. It would be a shame- no, it would be a crime to waste the young talent they have. That said, they might.

Let the comment fly.

that's only 2 seasons for a Top 10 HS draft pick to develop everything needed to be a starter in the Majors. That's severely against the modern grain....100% against it.

It could happen...but this isn't the 1980's...nearly 50 years removed from that decade.

4-7 seasons is the norm. 3 years has happened for lower drafted prospects.

[RunSup]

Four small steps for Cards Talk
Four giant leaps for the Pirate organization and MLB CBA negotiation.

Yes they could be good. Even great. So can the other NL central teams if they chose.

[scoutyjones2]

No, not they aren't.

[Talkin' Baseball]

Strong write. With nine starters, 2-3 will be traded. That furthers their team development.

They have a lot to make up, with a Milwaukee regression, and a Pirates rise, they should significantly close the gap.

I suggested trading Keller. If they could trade even one more pitcher (Jared Jones to the Cards for Nootbaar please) for a meaningful player, and sign 1-2 meaningful players in addition to the two trades already suggested, they would shore up a lot of holes.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Strong write. With nine starters, 2-3 will be traded. That furthers their team development.

They have a lot to make up, with a Milwaukee regression, and a Pirates rise, they should significantly close the gap.

I suggested trading Keller. If they could trade even one more pitcher (Jared Jones to the Cards for Nootbaar please) for a meaningful player, and sign 1-2 meaningful players in addition to the two trades already suggested, they would shore up a lot of holes.

At a minimum they become a team you don’t want to play. Ankle biter plus. To be great- luck, career years, and minimal injuries. They get there, maybe some fun.

[Carp4Cy]

they can never be THE Juggernaut, because trading Skenes would necessarily turn some other team into THE Juggernaut.

[JDW]

Four small steps for Cards Talk
Four giant leaps for the Pirate organization and MLB CBA negotiation.

Yes they could be good. Even great. So can the other NL central teams if they chose.

4 giant leaps? ................ it might take giant leaps to jump over the Cubs and Brewers, but hopping over the Reds and Cards could be much easier. A couple bunny hops combined with a couple Bob Beamon high altitude jumps might do it.

But to your points, yes, even teams with low budgets sometimes have good opportunities to become much better if they truly target winning in conjunction with a smart FO and approach. The Pirates are currently entering a stage where they could soon become contenders ... but will they?

[ScotchMIrish]

The Dodgers are a juggernaut. Pirates can't be a juggernaut any more than the Royals were a juggernaut because they can't retain their top players.

Royals made the WS twice and then went 8 seasons before they had another winning season. Even when they win attendance is poor because the fans have lost interest. They had a winning record in 2025 and were 25th in attendance.

At best the Pirates could make a run at it for a year or two.

[rockondlouie]

No, not they aren't.

+1

[sikeston bulldog2]

However. If they were to just sniff the Clemente or Dave Parker Pirates, they would be helllllll.

We are Family.

[Talkin' Baseball]

The Dodgers are a juggernaut. Pirates can't be a juggernaut any more than the Royals were a juggernaut because they can't retain their top players.

Royals made the WS twice and then went 8 seasons before they had another winning season. Even when they win attendance is poor because the fans have lost interest. They had a winning record in 2025 and were 25th in attendance.

At best the Pirates could make a run at it for a year or two.

I hear what you are saying about retaining players. That does make it difficult.

There are elements of a comparison for KC, but not an absolute match. The Pirates, especially their pitching, is younger better and deeper than the Royals were.

I disagree that "at best they could make a run at it for a year or two". Even if the CBA doesn't help them, they have some high-end players cost controlled for a long period and a Skenes trade in the middle would help replenish that. The thing that could throw a wrench in my whole premise, is that it requires them to be well-run. When was the last time we could say that about the Pirates?

[ScotchMIrish]

The Dodgers are a juggernaut. Pirates can't be a juggernaut any more than the Royals were a juggernaut because they can't retain their top players.

Royals made the WS twice and then went 8 seasons before they had another winning season. Even when they win attendance is poor because the fans have lost interest. They had a winning record in 2025 and were 25th in attendance.

At best the Pirates could make a run at it for a year or two.

I hear what you are saying about retaining players. That does make it difficult.

There are elements of a comparison for KC, but not an absolute match. The Pirates, especially their pitching, is younger better and deeper than the Royals were.

I disagree that "at best they could make a run at it for a year or two". Even if the CBA doesn't help them, they have some high-end players cost controlled for a long period and a Skenes trade in the middle would help replenish that. The thing that could throw a wrench in my whole premise, is that it requires them to be well-run. When was the last time we could say that about the Pirates?

The glimmer of hope for teams like the Pirates is the upcoming end of the current collective bargaining contract. If the small and mid market teams band together and demand a serious payroll cap then MLB could be like NHL, NBA and NFL where the payrolls are similar and everybody has a chance to win.

[Talkin' Baseball]

The Dodgers are a juggernaut. Pirates can't be a juggernaut any more than the Royals were a juggernaut because they can't retain their top players.

Royals made the WS twice and then went 8 seasons before they had another winning season. Even when they win attendance is poor because the fans have lost interest. They had a winning record in 2025 and were 25th in attendance.

At best the Pirates could make a run at it for a year or two.

I hear what you are saying about retaining players. That does make it difficult.

There are elements of a comparison for KC, but not an absolute match. The Pirates, especially their pitching, is younger better and deeper than the Royals were.

I disagree that "at best they could make a run at it for a year or two". Even if the CBA doesn't help them, they have some high-end players cost controlled for a long period and a Skenes trade in the middle would help replenish that. The thing that could throw a wrench in my whole premise, is that it requires them to be well-run. When was the last time we could say that about the Pirates?

The glimmer of hope for teams like the Pirates is the upcoming end of the current collective bargaining contract. If the small and mid market teams band together and demand a serious payroll cap then MLB could be like NHL, NBA and NFL where the payrolls are similar and everybody has a chance to win.

Even the Yankees seem to be on board.

[ScotchMIrish]

The Dodgers are a juggernaut. Pirates can't be a juggernaut any more than the Royals were a juggernaut because they can't retain their top players.

Royals made the WS twice and then went 8 seasons before they had another winning season. Even when they win attendance is poor because the fans have lost interest. They had a winning record in 2025 and were 25th in attendance.

At best the Pirates could make a run at it for a year or two.

I hear what you are saying about retaining players. That does make it difficult.

There are elements of a comparison for KC, but not an absolute match. The Pirates, especially their pitching, is younger better and deeper than the Royals were.

I disagree that "at best they could make a run at it for a year or two". Even if the CBA doesn't help them, they have some high-end players cost controlled for a long period and a Skenes trade in the middle would help replenish that. The thing that could throw a wrench in my whole premise, is that it requires them to be well-run. When was the last time we could say that about the Pirates?

The glimmer of hope for teams like the Pirates is the upcoming end of the current collective bargaining contract. If the small and mid market teams band together and demand a serious payroll cap then MLB could be like NHL, NBA and NFL where the payrolls are similar and everybody has a chance to win.

Cool. It just might happen then.
Even the Yankees seem to be on board.