Josh Imhof | news editor

As I stood on the shores of Point State Park on May 29, I anxiously waited for the Pirates post–game drone show to begin. I had never seen one before, and had enormous expectations.

Typically, I would be at the game, but tickets for this one were expensive. Not only because of the drone show, but because the Pirates were actually winning. They weren’t an amazing team, but they consistently displayed flashes of talent throughout the early months of the season.

Like the drone show, my aspirations for the team were sky high.

Rookie Konnor Griffin immediately shined when he was called up from Triple-A and added a youthful spark that the team had been missing in recent years.

Offseason free agent signings Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn were making themselves known in big ways, adding power bats to a lineup that hit an MLB-worst 117 home runs during the 2025 season.

Even Oneil Cruz, who had been the epitome of wasted potential throughout the first four years of his career, was beginning to make consistent noise.

Sure, the bullpen posted terrible numbers and cost the team what felt like dozens of close games, but the pieces were there. And on that May evening, it felt like everything came together.

In the bottom of the 9th, Pirates left-fielder Bryan Reynolds blasted a two-run home run into the left field bleachers at PNC Park. From my spot across the shore, I could hear the stadium erupt. It was surreal seeing the ballpark from the point of view.

I wondered if that was what it was like at the 2013 National League Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds when Russell Martin hit his famous home run off of Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto.

For the next two months, the Pirates boasted one of the top offenses in baseball and played well enough to post a 50-47 record going into the All-Star Break. In their last three games, they swept their NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers in Pittsburgh.

But shortly after, things quickly fell apart. The Pirates limped out of the All-Star Break and lost seven of their next 10 series against powerhouses like the Yankees and Cubs, but also to lowly teams like the Mets and Marlins.

For a season that began with so much potential, it gradually began to feel like business as usual for the Pirates.

This was made even more disappointing by the team’s clear need for bullpen help. Rumors continually circulated that they would pick up new arms, but general manager Ben Cherington forced skipper Don Kelly to rely on the same faces, no matter how poorly they would perform.

It wasn’t until the 11th hour of the MLB trade deadline Aug. 3 that the Pirates finally made a notable move, signing veteran reliever Luke Weaver to a two-year, $22-million contract.

But it was too little, too late. By then, the bats stopped overachieving and the Pirates continued sliding in the standings. Although they battled back to finish 82-80, their first season above .500 since their 82-79 campaign in 2018, it is still disappointing.

Whether it is stingy ownership, underachieving players or injuries, the Pirates rarely have the depth of high-end talent that they did this year. Surprise standouts like Jake Mangum and Esmerlyn Valdez should have been key parts of an unexpected playoff run.

But their seasons will largely be remembered the same way those of former Pirates Sean Rodriguez and Fransisco Cervelli were. Good memories from disappointing years. At least those two were able to make the playoffs.

This is not to say that there aren’t things to look forward to. The way that the Pirates finished the season so strong was nothing short of impressive. Kelly never let the team give up, and they were within 4.5 games of a Wild Card spot as late as Sept. 10.

That is the closest they got at the end, and hopefully it gives the returning players confidence.

But I imagine it will be difficult to ride the high of a two-games over .500 season for the next six months, if not longer because of the impending MLB lockout. Even more uncertainty hangs in the air as players like Lowe are not guaranteed to be re-signed.

Just as important, Cherington will be entering his seventh year as general manager, despite producing little on-field success for the team.

As of now, there are more questions than answers for the Pirates. But the time for perpetual can kicking has passed. It is time to answer them.

The most exciting part of the season cannot be a random walk-off home run two months into the season.

It is not enough anymore.

Josh Imhof can be reached at
imhofj@duq.edu