Yankees Have One Problem And Can Learn From Pirates

The New York Yankees are the powerhouse franchise in the MLB. The team, which has existed since 1903, has the most World Series wins of any team, with a whopping 27, and a reputation for being willing to pay top dollar for excellent talent.

In contrast, the Pittsburgh Pirates have much more limited success. Though Pittsburgh is an even older franchise, with a version of the team dating back to 1881, they've come out as champions five times, with the most recent World Series win for the Buccos coming in 1975.

In 2025, the two teams are serving as foils to one another in three key categories.

Offensive Power

The starkest contrast between the two teams comes from offensive production. The Yankees are an undisputed hitting machine, leading to high scoring games and powerful wins. Captain Aaron Judge is 2nd in the AL for home runs, with 23 on the season so far. The batting lineup is so stacked that relatively powerful hitters like DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza are riding the bench with the return of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and eventual return of Giancarlo Stanton.

Compared to the Yankees, the Pirates get dwarfed. ONeil Cruz, who leads Pittsburgh in hitting stats, is having one of the best seasons of his career, with the most stolen bases in the NL and a batting average of .227. While Cruz has contributed to almost all of the Pirates' successes, even breaking the record for the hardest-hit ball recorded in the StatCast era, his stats are half that of Judge's.

Given the discrepancy in offensive production, it's no wonder the Yankees sit at the top of the AL East and fall behind only the Detroit Tigers in the AL overall with a record of 39-25. The Pirates, on the other hand, are in the basement of the NL Central with a record of 26-40. While they eke out on top of the disappointing Miami Marlins and abysmal Colorado Rockies, Pirates fans shouldn't expect their team to make their first playoff appearance since 2015 this year.

Pitching Depth

In contrast to their struggles on offensive, the Pirates have emerged as a powerhouse for pitching. With a lucky pick in the 2023 MLB draft, the Pirates selected LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, calling him up to the majors in 2024, when he won NL Rookie of the Year. In 14 starts this season, Skenes boasts a 1.88 ERA, and the days he's pitching are truly special events for Pittsburgh.

In addition to Skenes, pitchers like Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney and Bailey Falter round out the starting rotation. Though they're not the same level of successful as Skenes, each pitcher is more than competent on the mound. Pittsburgh also has a lot of talent in their farm system, like recently called-up Braxton Ascraft and the second-best prospect in the MLB, RHP Bubba Chandler.

In contrast, the Yankees have been struggling at pitcher in 2025. Though they offer similarly powerful pitchers in Carlos Rodón and Max Fried, their best performers have been plagued with injury. World Series starter Gerrit Cole (who started his MLB career on the Pirates from 2013-2017) is out for the whole season to recover from Tommy John surgery. Paul Skenes' Rookie of the Year counterpart in the AL, Louis Gil, hasn't played all season due to an injury sustained during spring training. Luke Weaver stepped in to take over the closing role from Devin Williams to great success, but recently suffered a hamstring injury.

Without injuries, the Pirates may not be a substantially stronger team at pitching, but the streak of bad luck plaguing Yankees pitchers has been their downfall in several recent games, including their series loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Spending

Then, of course, there's the money.

While Pirates fans are so enraged at the refusal to spend from ownership that they crowd-fund billboards encouraging owner Bob Nutting to sell, the Yankees are one of the league's biggest spenders. Though they've recently been outspent by the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, the Pinstripes are more than willing to pay the competitive balance tax to win.

Considering the Yankees are the most valuable franchise in the MLB, the decision pays off in spades from a financial standpoint for the team's ownership. While Nutting has been proven to refuse to spend more than he can recoup in concessions and tickets sales, contributing to the Buccos' struggle to secure a spot in the playoffs, the Pinstripes just went back to the World Series again.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

• Former Yankees Get Revenge in Red Sox Win
• Aaron Judge Gets Brutally Honest About Tying Yankees Legend’s Record
• Yankees' Aaron Judge Makes Rare History vs. Red Sox
• Red Sox Rookie Gets Last Laugh Over Yankees
• Yankees Manager Responds to Red Sox Pitcher's Comments