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Bucs Dugout

An unofficial Pittsburgh Pirates blog

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Come chat the Rays vs. Brewers World Series with Bucs Dugout!

The Tampa Bay Rays face the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series on Oct. 23 at American Family Field, marking the first championship chance for both clubs. The Brewers advanced by sweeping the Dodgers after beating the Padres, while the Rays swept the Yankees and defeated the Guardians in six games. Pitchers Nick Marinez (Rays) and Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) will start, with the matchup broadcast on FOX and the FOX One app. The post also notes the Pirates’ season‑series win over Milwaukee and a recent trade that sent reliever Mason Montgomery to Tampa Bay.

Some pending free agents the Pirates could consider re-signing

The Pirates face key free‑agent decisions as the 2027 offseason begins. Second baseman Brandon Lowe, a gold‑glove finalist who led Pittsburgh in RBIs and homers after a power‑poor 2025, will likely demand a big contract, forcing the front office to weigh his veteran leadership against budget limits. Reliever Gregory Soto, who posted a 3.63 ERA and 27.7% strikeout rate in 2026 and logged 16 saves, is also set to hit free agency, offering potential bullpen depth in the seventh and eighth innings. Veteran Kirby Yates retires, leaving only Lowe and Soto as the critical re‑sign targets.

Murf Gray named Pirates Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year

Murf Gray earns the Pirates’ Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year award after a breakout 2026 debut. The 22‑year‑old hit 32 homers—leading all Pittsburgh minor leaguers—while posting a .305/.402/.567 slash line, .969 OPS, 143 hits, 97 RBIs and 66 walks across Bradenton, Greensboro and Altoona. Drafted from Fresno State in 2025, Gray led the South Atlantic League in total bases and homers before his promotion to Double‑A. Baseball America names him the organization’s top 2026 prospect; MLB.com ranks him fourth. Projected to debut in 2027, he could compete for third base in spring training.

Pirates have another offseason trade idea with Astros

The Pirates, after a successful 2026 season with former Astros acquisitions Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, and Mason Montgomery, may pursue another deal with Houston. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller proposes swapping Astros third‑baseman Isaac Paredes—who can also play second base—for a spot the Pirates need as Lowe heads free agency after a 35‑home‑run, 150‑game campaign. With the Astros flush with infield talent, including a returning Carlos Correa, the trade could benefit both clubs, prompting Pittsburgh to reopen talks this offseason.

Pirates Jared Triolo named Gold Glove finalist

Utility infielder Jared Triolo makes the Rawlings Gold Glove finalist list for the third straight year, joining Maricio Dubón and Ildemaro Vargas as the National League’s top utility defenders. Triolo logged 527.2 innings at shortstop (4 DRS) and 260.1 innings at third base (5 DRS, .975 fielding %, two errors), plus spots at first, right and center field. His versatile defense helped the Pirates after rookie Konnor Griffin’s injury, and he joins fellow Pirate Brandon Lowe, a second‑base finalist. The winners will be revealed on November 1.

Pirates sign Minor League outfielder to two-year deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates are wasting no time in the offseason, already making moves to firm up their Minor League rosters, when it was announced over the weekend that they signed outfielder and Gibsonia native Kyler Fedko to a two-year Minor League contract. Fedko is coming off of a torn ACL and MCL, but he expects […]

Pirates Brandon Lowe named Gold Glove finalist

Rawlings has announced the Gold Glove finalists for the 2026 season at each position group in both the American and National Leagues. Pittsburgh Pirates star second baseman Brando Lowe is up for the award which would be his first gold glove of his career.   The finalists are coming from The National League Central. Lowe, alongside […]

Pirates must brace losing Brandon Lowe in free agency

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe was a massive boost for the team in his first season with the Bucs. After being acquired in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros in the offseason, Lowe had arguably the best statistical season of his career in 2026. Lowe had a batting average […]

How Pirates performed vs. MLB’s Final Four this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the couch watching the LCS once again this season. It’s been 34 years since the Pirates were in the NLCS themselves, where they lost to the Atlanta Braves in seven games. This season, however, they managed to play pretty well against the top teams in the league. Here’s a look […]

Pirates 2026 season in review: Best of the prospects

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished with a top-15 farm system in baseball after opening up the year as the preseason third-best farm system in Major League Baseball. Throughout their minor league ranks there were several standout players and names to be looking for as their careers progress. Triple-A Indianapolis Ronny Simon was named the Indianapolis Indians […]

Pirates 2026 season in review: Starting rotation

This group was supposed to be the strength of the team coming into this year, but they ended up with an up-and-down season and were not nearly as dominant as we all hoped. Paul Skenes The issues started with Pittsburgh’s ace. Coming off of a Cy Young season, Skenes was expected to dominate once again. […]

Pirates 2026 season in review: Catchers

The 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates experienced an up-and-down relationship with their catching rotation. Three catchers made a significant impact on a club that finished 82-80, the team’s best record since 2018. All three will likely return in 2027, if there is a season, to patrol the Pirates’ backstop. Pittsburgh received a mix bag of production depending […]

Pirates 2026 season in review: Outfielders

The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield in 2026 had a few consistent pieces, but overall this was a group that saw a lot of turnover and a lot of opportunities for young players to prove their worth. The mainstays One of the more impressive stat lines this year has to do with the former All-Star Bryan Reynolds. […]

Pirates 2026 season in review: Bullpen

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 […]

Pirates 2026 season in review: Infielders

The Pittsburgh Pirates infield in 2026 was comprised of a balanced mix of All-Star caliber players and average rotational pieces. Best of the best starters Pittsburgh’s infield as a whole was a position group that in 2026 had several marquee players. The most explosive of these players was second baseman Brandon Lowe. After being acquired […]

Mason Montgomery is Pirates breakout star for 2026

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mason Montgomery made the most of his first season with the team. Montgomery made 70 appearances for the Pirates this season, recording a 6-4 record with a 2.88 ERA and 68.2 innings pitched. His efforts made him the biggest surprise of the year, according to Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter. “The […]

Pirates urged to make trade with division rival

The Pittsburgh Pirates are sitting at home for the playoffs, but their 82-80 record from the season suggests that they are close to playing in October. It might only take one or two more moves to get there in 2027, especially if they make a big splash. Bleacher Report contributor Kerry Miller suggests the Pirates […]

Pirates Wyatt Sanford kicks off Arizona Fall League with big homer

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Wyatt Sanford got going the Arizona Fall League over the weekend, blasting a huge homer in a Glendale loss to the Salt River Rafters. Sanford cranked a cutter to an 100mph exit velocity. Check out the homer: The Desert Dogs ended up losing this one and are now off to an 0-2 […]

Jared Jones, Mason Montgomery earn National League award honors for September

Two young Pirates pitchers closed out the season better than anyone in the National League. Jared Jones and Mason Montgomery entered the season on different paths, but ended with the same recognition. Jones was awarded National League Pitcher of the Month for September earlier this week. Montgomery earned NL Reliever of the Month after a […]

Pirates Prospect update: Seth Hernandez named top MLB Prospect in FSL

The Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Seth Hernandez found himself atop another prospect list as he was named the Florida State League’s top prospect for his body of work as a member of the Bradenton Marauders. In six starts with Bradenton, Hernandez was nearly unstoppable. He amassed a 3-0 record and an ultra low 0.96 ERA. […]

Pirates get first winning season since 2018

There hasn’t been a lot of celebrating for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the years but they were able to achieve one pretty big goal this season. The Pirates finished the 2026 season with a winning record, 82-80, after defeating the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the series/season finale at Comerica Park on Sept. 27. The Pirates […]

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers: Jared Jones vs. River Ryan

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers, September 26, 2026, 3:10 p.m. ET The Pittsburgh Pirates are wrapping up the regular season as they take on the Detroit Tigers in game 162. Jared Jones (5-6, 3.87 ERA) is making the start for the Pirates. Jones has made 20 starts this season, bouncing back after missing the entire […]

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers: Justin Verlander’s last start

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers, September 26, 2026, 1:10 p.m. ET The Pittsburgh Pirates are the answer to a unique baseball trivia question following today’s game against the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates will be the final team legendary pitcher Justin Verlander faces in his epic 21-year career that will almost certainly end with enshrinement into […]

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers: Bubba Chandler vs. Jackson Jobe

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Detroit Tigers, September 25, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming in the home stretch with the start of the final series of the year against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. In game number 160 of the season, the Pirates will trot out Bubba Chandler, who is making his […]