Pittsburgh Pirates: New Stars, Old Hopes

0:00On April 3rd, Connor Griffin just landed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he's hyped about jumping into a squad that's built to ball out for the rest of 20-26. He views himself as one key piece in a loaded puzzle, joining warriors ready to stack wins and chase that contention vibe. The Pirates beefed a big disoff season, signing sluggers like Marcelo Zuna and Ryan O'Hern, plus Vett lefty Gregory Soto and snagging second, basement Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum, and reliever Mason Montgomery in a trade with Tampa Bay. After dropping their first two games, they're now three and three, winning three of the last four with fire across the board. Fans have waited forever for this. Pittsburgh hasn't hit the playoffs since 2015, or posted a winning record since 2018, the longest droughts in baseball. But the city's buzzing, knowing this core, could finally bring back those packed houses and real October energy. Offense exploded lately, smashing 10 home runs in six games, including six over back-to-back 8-to-3 wins against Cincinnati on March.

1:0431st and April 1st, Lowe's got three dingers, O'Hern's slashing 4-21, over 5-22, over 7-37, and studs like O'Neal Crews and Brian, Reynolds are finally mashing two. Pitching's the real backbone, though, with the 235 ERA over the last five starts, led by 2025-Sai Young winner Paul Schienes, Mitch Keller and Young Guns like Braxton-Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler. At a nasty bullpen, Griffin's glove, bat and wheels at short, and Pittsburgh's prime to turn the page on those lean years. This has been MLB News Today, powered by AI.