The Pittsburgh Pirates missed the postseason for a ninth straight season in 2024 after finishing with a record of 76-86 and coming in last in the National League Central.
Although the Pirates have five World Series championships in franchise history, they haven’t won a title since 1979 and have made three playoff appearances since 1993.
The Pirates do have some hope heading into 2025, as ace starting pitcher Paul Skenes made his presence known in his rookie season last year.
Though the Pirates made a couple of moves to improve their offense, including adding first baseman Spencer Horwitz, outfielder Tommy Pham and second baseman Adam Frazier one insider isn’t impressed.
“I still question their offense,” Rosenthal said, via Foul Territory.
The @Pirates have added a veteran lefty to the staff in Andrew Heaney, but @Ken_Rosenthal thinks they could use a bit more offense pic.twitter.com/TEd2tuN1Bj
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 21, 2025
Rosenthal names Horwitz as the big offensive acquisition this offseason for the Pirates, but he notes that he is already injured.
Horwitz comes to the Pirates from the Toronto Blue Jays, where he played both seasons of his MLB career.
In 2024, Horwitz played 97 games and batted .265 with 12 home runs, 40 RBIs and a .790 OPS.
The Pirates appear to have a solid starting rotation that will be led by Skenes, but their offense needs some work, and Rosenthal isn’t impressed with how the team is run as a whole.
It will be interesting to see how far the pitching can take the Pirates in 2025 and to see if they can make their first playoff appearance since 2015.
NEXT: Former Player Compares Paul Skenes To Dwight Gooden