Six Takeaways From the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2025 Season

After locking down the closer role in Pittsburgh for parts of five seasons, the Pirates decided to deal David Bednar to the New York Yankees at this year’s trade deadline. Following the move, Dennis Santana stepped up to fill this role, and he proved to be very reliable.

Following deadline day, Santana pitched 23.2 lockdown innings for the Pirates out of the closer role. He recorded an ERA of 1.90, 10 saves, and 21 strikeouts along the way. Santana also stranded nearly 90% of batters he let on base, as he had no problem getting outs in high-leverage situations.

Santana only blew one game in this span as well, and it didn’t come until late September. He also recorded one of the most electric saves of the season on September 3, where he struck out Shohei Ohtani to complete a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During his short time as the team’s closer during the second half, Santana proved that he’s capable of handling his new role. To have a player consistently capable of getting high-leverage outs is going to be huge for the Pirates moving forward. Without Santana, they would’ve likely scrambled to fill the closer role with whatever arms were available on any given night.

3. Desperate Need for More Slugging

It’s no secret that the Pirates’ offense wasn’t up to par this season. From the lack of situational hitting to only one hitter posting an above league-average wRC+, this offense was simply not good. One of the most alarming factors of the offense, though, was the lack of slugging this team possessed.

The Pirates finished 30th in home runs during the regular season, and it wasn’t particularly close either. The Cardinals, who finished in 29th place, hit over 30 home runs more than them this season, showing just how much the team struggled with the long ball.

Oneil Cruz was the only hitter to reach the 20-homer mark this season for the Pirates, with only 5 hitters in total reaching double digits. In order to truly compete next season, the Pirates will desperately need to maximize their offense’s power, as it’s rare to compete with such a lack of power.

Outside of Cruz, the Pirates don’t really have a hitter that other teams are afraid to pitch to. Acquiring a lethal power threat that other pitchers have to fear would do wonders for this offense, protecting the rest of the lineup and simply driving in more runs.

Even acquiring another hitter capable of reaching double-digit homers would be huge for the team, as their run production would see a drastic increase overnight. With multiple affordable power bats available this offseason via trade or free agency, an upgrade is well within reach.

4. A Young Rotation Built to Dominate

Prior to the 2025 season, the main area of the team fans could be excited about was the club’s pitching staff. With a rotation headlined by Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, and young stars like Bubba Chandler on the way, it’s easy to understand why this rotation was built for success. They did all that and more, becoming one of the most lethal rotations in the sport by season’s end.

Skenes became the first qualified pitcher since 2022 to finish the season with an ERA under 2.00, and he’ll likely take home his first career Cy Young Award this winter. Keller turned in another consistent season, posting an ERA slightly above 4.00 in the process.

Bubba Chandler also impressed during his first taste of the major leagues, a 4.02 ERA across 31.1 innings, keeping walks to a minimum during his outings. Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft both also showed signs of becoming back-end rotation pieces this season as well.

With these five starters alone, the Pirates slowly put together quite the dominant rotation. This isn’t even considering the rise of Hunter Barco or the return of exciting young right-hander Jared Jones at some point next season.

The Pirates’ rotation lived up to the high expectations placed on it before the season. The team now finds it’s with so many solid young arms that they don’t have enough room in the rotation to fit them all, meaning we could see them get crafty in 2026.

5. Spencer Horwitz Is the Long-Term Answer at First

Although Ben Cherington’s last offseason was relatively quiet, one of the most impactful decisions of his tenure came in December, when he acquired young first baseman Spencer Horwitz.

Early on in spring training, it looked like this would be another questionable trade at best, as Horwitz began the season on the injured list due to wrist surgery. However, once he was healthy, Horwitz quickly became the most dominant piece of this offense, hitting his way to the top of the team’s leaderboard.

Horwitz finished the season slashing .272/.353/.434 with 11 homers, 1.7 fWAR, and a 119 wRC+. For an offense that really struggled to get going all season long, Horwitz became one of the few bright pieces to watch every day. This was especially comforting due to the Pirates not having a true answer at first base prior to the trade.

With Horwitz hitting so well down the stretch for the Pirates, he quickly proved that he’s capable of being the long-term answer at first base. He comes with five more years of control, meaning the Pirates could have quite a few seasons of similar production from the left-handed hitter.

While we can only wonder what a fully healthy season from Horwitz might have looked like, his 108-game sample this year offered plenty of encouraging signs.

6. Konnor Griffin Is a Reason to Get Excited

Before the regular season began, Pirates fans were treated to a look at Konnor Griffin during major league spring training. He looked very impressive during his time with the big league club, but nobody could’ve predicted the season Griffin had in store.

Beginning the season at Low-A, Griffin flew through the system at just 19 years old. He advanced the whole way to Double-A by the end of his first professional season, looking more and more impressive wherever he went. He jumped to the top of prospect lists across the industry, including finishing the season as the number two prospect on our top 100.

During 122 games across three levels, Griffin ended the season with 21 homers, 94 RBI, and 65 stolen bases. He also slashed .333/.415/.527 while posting a 165 wRC+. To put it simply, Griffin’s 2025 campaign was one of the best minor league seasons in team history.

With Griffin now just two stops away from the major leagues, it might not be long before we see this type of production in PNC Park. Griffin is one of the more talented all-around prospects the Pirates have ever seen, and if he reaches his full potential, he could completely save their offense.

Final Thoughts

Although things may seem pretty grim following another losing season, the future in Pittsburgh is the brightest it’s been since the early 2010s. From a young, dominant rotation to players like Konnor Griffin just a few steps away from the big leagues, it’s exciting to dream about what the near future could look like.

If history repeats itself, this new core could really come together within the next few seasons, especially if the front office makes moves to complement them along the way. From their strengths to their weaknesses, we learned a lot about where the Pirates currently stand in 2025.

However, there’s more pressure than ever for Cherington and the rest of the Pirates’ front office to deliver a winning product on the field. The clock is ticking as most of this new core is reaching the big leagues, and this offseason will be a massive indicator as to the direction this team is headed.