The Pittsburgh Pirates are heading into a pivotal winter after seemingly opening a playoff window last offseason. With that in mind, here are three early predictions for the Pirates.

The Pirates are in a tough spot as their best offensive player is set to hit the open market this winter and is in line to get a massive payday. Brandon Lowe deserves a massive contract, with the 32-year-old still in his prime and coming off a career year at the plate.

So far, the Pirates haven’t shown a willingness to hand out long-term contracts to establish veteran players. Unfortunately, that reputation makes it hard to see Lowe re-signing with the Pirates, at least at this point in the offseason.

There are other teams that need an upgrade at second base and have a history of handing out big contracts. Teams that fit that description and immediately come to mind include the New York Mets, Houston Astros, and New York Yankees.

Pittsburgh’s rotation had some ups and downs in 2026, but the core is strong overall. It’s a similar case with the Pirates’ still-young lineup.

The one area of the roster that needs the most outside help is the bullpen.

The Pirates’ reliever core was clearly the team’s biggest weakness last season, and the front office admitted it with their actions, not words, with all the moves it made at the trade deadline, adding Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates, and Camilo Doval.

Only one of those additions is still on the roster heading into 2027.

Pittsburgh can’t ignore the depth and lack of production in the bullpen, and it's also where the team gets the most creative and gets the most bang for its buck. If the Pirates are going to be aggressive in adding at one position group on the roster, relievers make the most sense.

The Pirates need to balance out the rotation, just like in the lineup. To do that, Pittsburgh must find a left-handed starting pitcher.

Foster Griffin is a perfect candidate for Pittsburgh to sign for a couple of reasons.

Griffin is coming off his best season in the Majors, after re-establishing his career overseas. The relatively small sample size at the big-league level could concern some teams. However, Pittsburgh’s history with pitching development should make them comfortable with bringing

If Lowe doesn’t re-sign, the funds that did go to him in the salary cap should immediately be put back into the team, and Griffin is a perfect player for that.