Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington enters his eighth season in 2027 following an 82-80 finish, an 11-win improvement over the previous year.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a big offseason upcoming, following a successful 2026 season for the organization. Even though they missed out on the postseason, the squad stayed in contention nearly until the final weeks of the campaign. The team wrapped up the schedule at 82-80, fostering optimism for a potential playoff berth the following year.
Cherington mentioned that the organization needs to wait for Lowe’s choice to unfold before figuring out how they will approach strengthening the roster.
The organization previously pursued big-ticket free agents like Kyle Schwarber and Munetaka Murakami before signing Ryan O’Hearn to the largest deal for a free-agent hitter in franchise history. Cherington addressed the company's finances at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
I don’t feel like we’re hamstrung or constrained.
Ben Cherington
Cherington expressed enthusiasm for the potential of the starting pitching staff next season, noting simultaneously that the club’s requirements are less narrowly defined than previously.
“We’re bullish on what the pitching group can accomplish,” Cherington said.
Ben Cherington
Beyond the infield dynamic, the Pirates are actively targeting left-handed pitching, with sources confirming the organization is exploring options to improve via free agency or trade. Hunter Barco, a former top-100 prospect, stays in the mix despite battling control issues during brief major league appearances, while Connor Wietgrefe garners backing ahead of an anticipated 2027 call-up.
“For me, it just comes down to, you just want to have good pitching,” Murphy said.
Bill Murphy, pitching coach
Cherington is bullish on what Pittsburgh’s pitching could look like in 2027, despite giving up more runs than anticipated during the previous year.
You look at 2026 and our total pitching performance, I think it’s fair to say we gave up a few more runs than we thought we would and think we’re capable of. We think we’re capable of being better than that. I also think there’s some things under the hood that suggest that maybe there’s a little bit of bad luck in there because the strikeout rate and walk rates are really good.
Ben Cherington
The performances of rookies Esmerlyn Valdez and Rafael Flores Jr. have also generated encouragement, although Cherington pointed out that both evaluations were based on limited playing time. Cherington said that Valdez must still prove himself further before securing the starting right field job permanently, whereas Flores’ campaign reinforces the organization’s faith in their underlying evaluations.
“We believe whatever the record was, we know it wasn’t good enough,” Cherington said on Tuesday.
Ben Cherington
The front office remains committed to evaluating various options to improve the roster and build upon the existing foundation of the team.
