The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a nice start to the 2026 campaign, though it's a bit disappointing that they currently sit in last place in the National League Central.
That really isn't much fault of the Pirates, sitting at 19-16, but it rather goes to show how tough the Central has been throughout the year. Every team in the division has at least 18 wins, with three teams already having 20. We have to tip our caps at times and just hope that Pittsburgh continues to play at this level and that other teams start to eventually struggle, which will definitely happen.
There are a few reasons for why the Pirates are playing better, and some of that is due to age, the pitching staff, and some other small moves. However, the reality here is that the Pirates are a better team because the front office finally decided to add some impact bats in the winter, and a lot of them are really paying off.
Unfortunately, some of those aren't paying off, namely the decision to add designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. The Pirates added Ozuna and cut ties with Andrew McCutchen, which was recently named the worst exchange of the offseason.
“The Pirates unceremoniously dumped Andrew McCutchen, one of the greatest players in franchise history, believing he was no longer useful, even as a part-time DH. They replaced him with Marcell Ozuna, giving him a one-year, $12 million contract. Ozuna’s start has been horrific, hitting .185 with a .560 OPS.
“McCutchen has struggled with Texas, hitting just .195 with one homer, five RBI and a .562 OPS, but at least he was beloved, and wouldn’t have been booed every time he steps to the plate,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote.
I understand what Nightengale is saying here, but I also don't think it was crazy for the Pirates to go in the direction that they did. Not that I fully agreed with it, but we have to remember that Ozuna was a guy who hit 39 home runs in 2024 and 40 in 2023.
McCutchen is a legend, and nobody would disagree with that, but he's not exactly a star at this point in his career any longer.