Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild - 2026 3rd Quarter Check-In
- IamCogs
- Sep 29
- 8 min read
We're 121 games into the 2026 season and I think it's finally safe to say it: The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the best teams in the MLB. With 40 left to play the Pirates sit at 41 games over .500 with a 81-40 record, owning a 10.5 division lead over a very good Reds team. The 81 wins is the best record in baseball, lead by their continued fantastic pitching, which was one of the carry-overs from 2025. The thing that has pushed this team into the elite tier? The offense. An offense that is 1st or 2nd in a majority of categories outside of homeruns.
Some things we will be covering this check-in (outside the normal): The All-Star game including relevant All-Stars, the First-Year Players draft, and MLB trade deadline.
Here's the Team Report through 121 games.
Basics
With 40 games left, the division is the Pirates' to lose. The Reds have played some very good baseball overall on the season but have slowed down a bit in the 3rd quarter. They still own the 2nd best starting pitching ERA in the league (2nd to the Pirates!) The Cardinals and Cubs have both played good baseball in the 3rd quarter, putting them in wildcard contention. The Brewers have been bad, still. Since our last check in the NL Central teams have gone: Pirates: 29-11
Cardinals: 25-15
Cubs: 24-18
Reds: 18-23
Brewers: 15-27
Here's the stats rankings through 121.
Changes:
On-Base PCT: 3rd -> 1st
Home Runs: 8th -> 7th
Bullpen ERA: 1st -> 2nd
Pitching WAR: 1st -> 2nd
Strikeouts: 4th -> 3rd
Zone Rating: 7th -> 9th
Errors: 3rd -> 1st
League News
As mentioned the 3rd quarter of the season has a lot of important dates, lets check into them.
Milestones
Houston Astros 2B Jose Altuve (48/48) needs just 27 hits to eclipse 2500 in his career.
Texas Rangers SS Corey Seager (71/71) is 1 homerun away from 250.
Los Angeles Dodgers LF Mookie Betts (67/67) is 13 RBI away from 1000.
Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Kenley Jansen (50/50) is 7 saves away from 500.
First-Year Player Draft
The first overall pick fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who drafted 19 y/o SS Grady Emerson (27/80) out of high school, hailing from Argyle, Texas.
The top 10 Pirates picks were:
21 y/o LHP Christian Lim (29/59)
18 y/o CF Jarvorskie Lane Jr. (24/57)
18 y/o SS Ethan Bass (25/47)
21 y/o RHP Cooper Clark (21/45)
21 y/o RHP Alex Kranzler (32/45)
20 y/o RHP Quinn Larson (29/44)
20 y/o C AJ Goytia (24/40)
22 y/o LHP Cam Nelson (31/39)
21 y/o RHP John Abraham (31/39)
21 y/o RHP Parker Burgess (28/38)
All-Star Game
The NL walked off the AL in the bottom of the 9th with a Ronald Acuna Jr. single that scored Alec Bohm.
The Pirates sent 5 players to the All-Star game
SP Paul Skenes (80/80) (3rd selection and starter) [1.0 IP, 1 K]
SP Jared Jones (57/59) (1st selection) [1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K]
C Henry Davis (56/56) (1st selection and starter) [0-3, 2 K]
SS Bo Bichette (54/54) (1st selection with PIT, 3rd overall and starter) [0-2 1 BB, 1 K]
RF Josh Palacios (51/51) (1st selection and starter) [0-2]
Not a stellar showing but it's the body of work over the season is what matters.
Trade Deadline
It was overall a pretty quiet trade deadline, the most noteworthy moves were:
Tampa Bay trades RHP Drew Rasmussen (63/63) to the Orioles for a prospect package.
The Tigers send LF Spencer Torkelson (52/52) and minor league C Enrique Jimenez (33/44) for LHP Chris Sale (58/58)
The Pirates traded 1B Jared Triolo (47/47) to the Cubs for minor league LF Kevin Alcantara (42/62).
This was an absolute steal as Triolo really did not have a spot on the team, I needed help at 1B with hitting lefties and he did not fill that roll slashing just .211/.260/.310 against them.
In return we get a outfielder who can play any position there, with fantastic upside. My long term plan here is moving off of Bryan Reynolds, moving one of my outfielders to DH (probably Oneil as he is our worst defensive outfielder) then playing Kevin in the spot they vacate.
This move set up my next one...
We also sent RHP Mike Burrows (45/45) for 1B Anthony Rizzo (45/45)
In this universe Riz never retired, instead playing 2025 and 2026 with the Tigers. I may have do a little emotional move in trying to get him 1 more ring.
BUT I will say, I needed help, like previously mentioned, hitting lefties from 1B. And Rizzo provides that slashing .265/.308/.441.
And since coming to the Pirates, in 12 games overall he has slashed .412/.417/.529 with a .946 OPS hitting 1 HR, and driving in 13 RBI.
Before the deadline we did trade RHP Colin Holderman (46/46) for LHP (Danny Young (46/46) from the Cardinals. Both teams needed handedness help, so in a rare inter-division, we swapped arms.
In 10 games and 12.0 innings Young has a 3.00 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP, striking out 17 while walking 6.
In 13 games and 14.1 innings Holderman has a 2.51 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP, striking out 12 while walking 11.
Stats
Batting Notes
Let's start with some milestone games.
LF Chris Newell (44/47), who came over from the Dodgers in the KeBryan Hayes trade, made his MLB debut on 7/9 in a 9-3 loss to the Phillies. He would go 0-3 with 1 BB and 1 K.
He would get his first hit and RBI on 7/15 in an 11-1 win against the Padres. He finished 2-3 1 R, 1 RBI , 1 BB and 1 K.
He also had a huge game on 8/15 in a 10-5 win over the Phillies. He went 2-3 with 2 R, 2 HR, and 6 RBI, one of those homeruns being a grand slam.
On 7/25 SS Bo Bichette did it all in a 5-4 win over the Padres. He went 3-4 with 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI and 1 BB.
On 7/29 in an 8-3 win against the Texas Rangers, RF Josh Palacios goes 3-5 with 2 R, 1 HR, 2 2B and 4 RBI.
Rizzo's big day: on 8/17 in a 13-3 win against the Reds, Rizzo goes 3-5 with 1 R and 5 RBI, including a grand slam.
LF Jack Suwinski (57/57) was named the NL player of the month in July. He went 36-81 (.444), hitting 4 2B, 8 HR, 20 RBI with a 1.094 OPS and .667 SLG. He also stole 6 bases.
And finally, DH Bryan Reynolds won players of the week for the week of 8/10 - 8/17. He went 10-23 (.435) with 2 HR, 5 R, and 5 RBI.
Now some general tidbits:
SS Bo Bichette is still one of the main driving forces of the offense. In 112 games he is slashing .295/.349/.449 with 20 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR and 72 RBI. He is 3rd in NL in batting WAR, with 5.5. The price tag to bring him to Pittsburgh has thus far been well worth it.
RF Josh Palacios remains the driving force of the offense, however. Sitting at 148 wRC+ and 72 runs scored. He is slashing .318/.371/.502 with 38 doubles, good for 3rd in the league. He's chipped in 2 triples and 12 homeruns while stealing 20 bags.
LF Jack Suwinski continues to mash, 23 HR, 87 RBI (tied for 1st in the MLB) with an .813 OPS. With 34 steals already he has a chance to be a 30/30 player.
1B Kyle Manzardo (55/60) has turned it on a bit, but the power numbers are still a bit under where I'd want him. 13 HR, 20 2B and a .407 SLG. He is on pace for 90 RBI, but I made the move for him to be another power guy beside Suwinski.
3B Eguy Rosario (48/48) has unfortunately been a bit of a let down since coming over, he's batting just .219 on the season and slugging just .364. While he showed promise in his first full year in 2025 hitting 20 HR and knocking in 78 with a wRC+ of 94., he's taken a step back in 2025, and for a 3B who we have to platoon for (.208/.258/.335) against righties, we may need to start looking for a long term solution there.
2B Termarr Johnson (44/53) has actually been taking games at 3rd against right handers in Eguy's stead. He has slashed .265/.373/.360 with a .733 OPS and a 105 wRC+.
Pitching Notes
Starting again with a milestone game.
On 8/12, in a 7-4 win against the Washington Nationals, RHP Paul Skenes threw an immaculate inning in the 4th, striking out Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Brady House on 9 consecutive strikes. So in the 2026 season, Skenes has an immaculate inning, a no-hitter, AND a perfect game. Oh, and he is still in the lead for the pitching triple crown. with 1.84 ERA, 16 wins, and 199 strikeouts.
Now some general tidbits:
The second head of the Pirates starting pitching Cerberus is still rolling. RHP Jared Jones is sitting on 14 wins and a 2.02 ERA, his ERA being 2nd only to Paul Skenes. He is undefeated on the year as well. With about 8 more starts left on the season, it will be interesting to see if he can keep the undefeated run going.
RHP Mel Ramos (54/54) thus far, has underperformed his 29.8m price tag. While he is 10-5 on the season, he is sporting a 4.25 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. While his FIP is 3.81, potentially showing up that he's been a bit lucky, the overall price tag would lead you to believe we need better from him.
RHP Logan Gilbert has been pitching well since returning. He is 4-1 with a 3.78 ERA, mostly inflated by a outing against the Met's where he gave up 6 ER over 4.0 IP. His ERA was at 2.64 before that.
LHP Bailey Falter (43/43) has been faltering down the stretch once again. Since hitting 3.16 ERA on 6/17. His ERA has steadily climbed to 4.16 while going 2-6 in that stretch. While we still have 41 left in the season, this is a concerning tread 2 years running and has made me consider looking for starting LHP replacements for him.
RHP Dedniel Nunez (48/48) finally made his debut for the Pirates! Returning on 7/18. He recorded 9 saves in a row to start his run as our closer, but the numbers aren't there for what you need a closer to be. His K/9 is just 2.5 and he is sporting a 1.36 WHIP, while only facing the minimum amount of batters in 4 of his 11 appearances. He was moved to a MR role while LHP Caleb Ferguson (46/46) took over closing once more.
Minor League Check-In
Finally a look at the farm system.
Top prospect 22 y/o LHP Jamie Arnold has been pitching in A ball, in 16 games and 90.2 IP he has a 7-4 record, with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. His K/BB per 9 is 10.7/3.6. He's settled in nicely.
Number 5 prospect 19 y/o LF Edward Florentino had a nice season so far in the DRL, playing in 47 games he is slashing .311/.446/.450 with a .896 OPS and a 126 wRC+.
He's hit for 5 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homeruns and 22 RBI's with a 19.6% BB rate.
Number 9 prospect 21 y/o 3B Jhonny Severino is slashing .284/.360/.479 in AA Altoona. He has a .839 OPS and a 119 wRC+.
He has 22 doubles, 3 triples, 9 homeruns and 49 RBI's in AA.
Number 10 prospect 19 y/o LHP Reinold Navarro is 102 in 58.0 IP in the DRL. While his WHIP is a high 1.78, his ERA is 3.26.
Number 14 prospect 25 y/o 1B Tyler Locklear (46/46) is slashing .356/.451/.666 in AAA Indianapolis. With a 1.117 OPS and wRC+ of 164 he stands to be one of the first Sept. call ups to get an extended look, perhaps even a 3B replacement. In 95 games he has hit 25 doubles and 29 homeruns, driving in 88.
He is slashing .314/.417/.543 against lefties and .374/.466/.716 against righties.
The push towards the playoffs begins, with just 41 games left in the season and September roster expansion looming. With a trip to the postseason all but guaranteed, the only question remains is how far will these Pirates go in the postseason.
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