Two Biggest Pirates' Needs Are Painfully Obvious Entering Offseason

Among the biggest concerns for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season were a thin bullpen and a lack of success against left-handed pitching.

There are going to be multiple ways for the Pirates to improve on both sides of the baseball this offseason, especially in the bullpen and by bringing in even a platoon bat who can help them offensively against left-handed guys. 

The Pirates aren't in a bad spot to improve this offseason, though it will take some creative ideas for the front office to do what it needs to do.

That's why it's not surprising to see a list of what the Pirates need, with the bullpen and an offensive player who can swing it against left-handed pitching being at the forefront of what needs to improve. 

The Pirates have to add a couple of right-handed bats this offseason who can swing it against left-handers, though again, that's going to be much more difficult than finding some bullpen arms.

“The second biggest need for the Pirates this winter is in the bullpen. They’ll need to add at least one left-handed option to pair with Mason Montgomery, who presumably will be the team’s closer in 2027. They would be wise to add another high-leverage option to go along with Montgomery and Like Weaver.

“Other areas the Pirates could look to address are adding a right-handed bat capable of hitting left-handed pitching. Pittsburgh had its struggled against lefty starters in 2026. Rotation depth — and potentially adding a left-handed starter — should also be on the agenda,” Danny Demilio wrote.

Bullpen arms shouldn't be that hard to find for the Pirates, at least if they do what's needed in the scouting department. 

There are always some under-the-radar bullpen options to get traded for somewhat low prices, so if Pittsburgh is willing to take a chance on some of those guys, I think it could work out for it.

The question for the Pirates is whether they trust their pitching development enough to get the most out of some of those guys. I like what they tried to do at the last trade deadline by going after a guy like Camilo Doval, since he has the stuff to be very good. 

It obviously didn't work out, but I don't hate taking low-risk chances like that. As long as the Pirates keep making those types of moves and can lock themselves into an offensive guy who can swing it against left-handers, they should be in a decent spot.

I'd love to see the big moves, but we all know that's not likely to happen in this org. Hopefully, we can say differently this winter, but let's wait and see.