The Pittsburgh Pirates have been more aggressive than usual in the offseason acquiring veteran players like Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Jose Urquidy. These moves have made a lot of Pirates fans excited for the 2026 season, but how high should the expectations for this team really be ?
The last time the Bucs had a winning record was in 2018 where they went 82-79. They were unable to make the playoffs that year even with the winning record. Since 2018, they have had three seasons with 60 or more
wins. Their last three seasons, Pittsburgh has had 76, 76 and 71 wins, with the last two seasons resulting in last place finishes in the National League Central.
The last time the Pirates made the playoffs was in 2015 where they lost in the wild card round to the Chicago Cubs. They made the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2013-2015, where they won the Wild Card Game against the Cincinnati Reds in 2013.
Talking about the past gives a good baseline on what a successful season for this team will look like for 2026. The Buccos have the former Cy Young winner in Paul Skenes and a plethora of young talent in the pitching rotation and in the batting lineup.
When you also look at the NL Central, it looks more open than it has in the past. The St. Louis Cardinals are projected to finish in last place in the division, while I believe the Reds will be on par with the Pirates. The Milwaukee Brewers lost Freddy Peralta who had a CY Young season, and they didn’t really add anyone major in the offseason.
When you put all of those details into consideration, I think a successful season for the Pittsburgh Pirates is winning around 82 games this year. Last year the Reds got into the playoffs with 83 wins, so if Pittsburgh can get around that win total there is a shot they will be competing in October.
Winning 80 or more games will show that the Pirates are on an uphill trajectory and are heading into the right direction.Although I don’t even think they need to make the playoffs for this season to be considered successful. With how rough the last couple of seasons have looked, I will take a winning season even if that means that there is another October that the Bucs won’t be playing in.
I know fans in Pittsburgh are probably getting sick of the losing seasons and not competing in the postseason but I would tell everyone to trust the process. The Pirates have a lot of young potential that even if they can show that they can be competitive in the months of August and September to me that would be a realistic successful season.
Tell us in the comments what you think qualifies as a successful season for the Pirates.
