The headliner has been Brandon Lowe, the Pirates fan favorite who doubles as one of the more attractive free agents on the market. But Pirates general manager Ben Cherington’s focus extends beyond one specific player.

Appearing on 93.7 The Fan from Las Vegas for the annual GM Meetings, Cherington maintained a

The offensive emergence of Endy Rodriguez early and Rafael Flores Jr. late in the 2026 season led to some sneaky productivity for Pirates catchers, that group ranking fifth throughout MLB in home runs and seventh in OPS.

But it wasn’t just the guys up top.

There were also some impressive developmental stories

When it comes to chances, Akil Baddoo has seen both sides.

Despite having never played above High-A back in 2021, Baddoo got a surprise shot and made the most of it, homering on his first swing for the Detroit Tigers and enjoying a strong rookie year.

This past season, however, Baddoo played

Brandon Lowe faced an uphill battle when it came to potentially winning a Gold Glove. He has a better shot when it comes to the National League Silver Slugger Award — for which Lowe was announced as a finalist on Thursday.

It’s Lowe and Milwaukee’s Brice Turang, who ultimately won the

BRADENTON, Fla. — When Edward Florentino looks back on his 2026 season, there’s certainly some sense of satisfaction.

The Pirates’ outfield prospect, at just age 19, reached the MLB All-Star Futures Game and No. 32 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list. Florentino also hit 27 homers and produced an .875 OPS

Dominoes or the baseball diamond, it doesn’t matter. Yordany and Johan De Los Santos are a package deal, full of energy, the brothers sharing a bond tracing back to their father, Johany.

The talented prospects are also ranked in the Pirates’ MLB Pipeline Top 30: Johan at No. 11

As expected, the Pirates extended a qualifying offer to Brandon Lowe on Monday.

The qualifying offer this year is worth $23.15 million, although it would be a surprise for Lowe to actually accept it.

Lowe has until Nov. 17 to accept the qualifying offer or decided to pursue free agency, which is

The interactions aren’t new to Mari Villalobos. But they are impressive every time for the United Service Organizations (USO) Senior Director of Global Entertainment Relations.

Late last month, Villalobos accompanied Paul Skenes and girlfriend Livvy Dunne to Japan to visit with service members and military families.

It’s the second straight year Skenes

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Dozens of prospects have filled the halls, classrooms and workout facilities at Pirate City over the past few weeks for the Forge High Performance Camp.

None of them are built like Tony Blanco Jr.

Then again, Blanco this week said he’s 6-foot-7, 290 pounds. There aren't many baseball players

BRADENTON, Fla. -- When the Pirates were brainstorming ways to help some of their prospects develop over the offseason, they wanted to do something that went beyond on-field instruction.

Director of coaching and player development Michael Chernow also said the organization wanted to place an emphasis on physical and mental development

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Standing near the entrance to Pirate City, where his 2026 journey began nearly nine months ago, Levi Sterling couldn’t help but smile when he considered all that has occurred.

Sterling developed a lot. In a short amount of time, too.

As one of the youngest players in Single-A for

BRADENTON, Fla. -- While the Pirates’ ongoing Forge High Performance Camp has been geared toward 30 or so Minor League players, equipping them with various development tools, there have been a few MLB sightings around Pirate City.

Endy Rodríguez has been here rehabbing the torn labrum in his left hip. Spencer Horwitz

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Whenever Derek Curiel has stepped on a baseball field, whether it was Orange Lutheran High School in Southern California or collegiately at LSU, he’s done so with a familiar mindset.

The Pirates’ 2026 first-round pick grew up loving the gritty approach employed by Pete Rose — the all-out

There was plenty of dominance this season. Excitement, too.

But when it came to suspense, Seth Hernandez and Murf Gray didn't offer much, as Young Bucs week concluded Thursday with the Pirates announcing Hernandez as their Bob Friend Pitcher of the Year and Gray as the Honus Wagner Player of the

There are tangible things to explain Derek Diamond's improved performance in 2026.

A new breaking ball, for instance.

And extra life on his heater.

But the real difference — and why Diamond was recognized as Pittsburgh’s Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year Wednesday — rests between the ears.

“I matured,” Diamond said. “You play

They’re not yet household names. But as the Pirates kicked off their Minor League awards Tuesday, finding the appropriate people to recognize wasn’t hard considering the progress made at their academy in the Dominican Republic.

Cecilio Beltre, a 25-year Pirates coaching veteran, was a slam dunk for Staff Member of the

Easton Carmichael hit 20 homers and produced an .825 OPS across two levels in 2026. His 127 hits ranked fourth among qualified Minor League catchers. His 92 RBIs were third among that group and throughout the Pirates’ system.

It was a solid season for the 2025 third-round pick out of the

When the Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe last December, they knew they were getting left-handed power that would play at PNC Park, plus veteran leadership that had been lacking among position players.

Similar to Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery and how they’ve established themselves in Pittsburgh, Lowe’s defensive turnaround made the swap

When Brady Peck walked toward Mervis Hall on Pitt’s campus Tuesday afternoon, he was taken aback by the hundreds of people gathered near the Forbes Field wall listening to a baseball game.

A junior from Glen Rock, N.J., Peck asked around and quickly learned about the Pittsburgh tradition, where Pirates fans

A few swings into Spring Training, Wyatt Sanford sensed something was different.

When the Pirates drafted Sanford in the second round in 2024, they liked his speed and defense, viewing his left-handed swing as more contact over power ... but also believing that could change over time.

Sanford, 20, did his part

The last Pirates playoff teams enjoyed production from catchers and elite bullpens. Despite falling short of its ultimate goal, the 2026 group took some important steps toward those goals.

While the bullpen certainly struggled early — only three teams had more blown saves (16) before the All-Star break — the turnaround

Think about how different things felt for the Pirates this time a year ago.

They ranked last in runs scored, homers and OPS throughout Major League Baseball — by a wide margin. Spencer Horwitz was their leader among position players in FanGraphs’ wins above replacement at just 1.7 fWAR. He also

On the final day of the 2026 season, Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy sat in the visitors' dugout at Comerica Park alone, soaking in the scene and appreciating the grind one final time before everyone dispersed for the offseason.

There was a lot to contemplate.

Hired last offseason to take the Pirates

The emergence of eight young, controllable players in 2026 helped the Pirates answer plenty of questions.

Konnor Griffin, Esmerlyn Valdez, Rafael Flores Jr. and Endy Rodriguez on the position-player side. Braxton Ashcraft, Mason Montgomery, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler among pitchers. That’s more than 15 wins above replacement (per FanGraphs) coming

One of the many beautiful aspects of baseball involves the ability to quantify darn near everything, the numbers from the back of a card to more advanced ones occupying space on spreadsheets and computer screens around the country.

The Pirates are no exception. They spent the past 162 games producing their