The Pirates season has come to a close finishing 82-80. The offense was the big story for the club this season with how dynamic and dominant they were at the plate. The pitching wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t the best in the league, let’s take a look at the Pirates bullpen this season.
The Good
Yohan Ramírez served as a reliable workhorse and multi-inning weapon out of the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen. He racked up over a strikeout per inning (102 K in 85.0 IP) with a strong 2.86 ERA across 66 appearances.
The bullpen was very questionable for a lot of the season, but Ramirez was definitely one of the more reliable and trusted arms.
Mason Montgomery led the team with 18 saves and had a solid 2.55 ERA. Montgomery was shaky in the beginning of the season, but he looked better in the second half of the year.
Luke Weaver was a big addition for the Bucs at the trade deadline from the New York Mets, and he looked pretty solid at times for the team. Weaver is Under contract through the 2027 season, with his next unrestricted free agency scheduled for 2028.
In the Middle
The Pirates were ranked in the middle in bullpen ERA at 14th with a 4.01 ERA. That’s not bad, but the big thing with the bullpen was inconsistency. As a team, they had 41 total saves on the year, which was an above average state compared to the rest of the league.
Gregory Soto was a name the team called on a good bit this season, pitching in 68 games. He also had the problem of inconsistency, he had a 3.68 ERA and had an issue with allowing the long ball. As a whole, the bullpen allowed 65 home runs on the year, which was on the lower side in the league.
The Bad
For the whole season, the Buccos didn’t have a go to closer. Mason Montgomery was thrusted into that role later in the year, but I’m not sure if he can be a legit long-term closer in the ninth inning for the Pirates next season.
To start the season, Denis Santana was the closer but he was designated for assignment by the Pirates on July 23, 2026, after posting a 6.05 ERA.
Another disappointment was Camilo Doval, who was traded from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline. Doval was supposed to be this big pickup at the deadline, but he was designated for assignment by the Pirates on September 22, 2026 and was later picked up by the San Francisco Giants.
The Pirates need to go out and get a legit closer in the offseason because they need that guy they can fully rely on. I think having Mason Montgomery throw in the seventh and maybe having Luke Weaver in the eighth can work as great set up guys. New closer to follow.
Overall, the Pirates bullpen did okay this season in places, but inconsistency killed them, especially when the Pirates had those rough months in the middle of the year. If the Bucs want to snap their playoff drought for the 2027 season, they should be aggressive in the offseason and spend some money on some guys in the bullpen that can help out.
