The Pirates Fixed Their Offense… So Why Did They Miss the Playoffs?

The Pittsburgh Pirates finally fixed their offense in 2026. So why are they still watching the MLB postseason from home? DVR, Eno Sarris and Jed Lowrie close the tab on the Pirates after a fascinating season in Pittsburgh. The Pirates entered Wednesday fifth in MLB in runs scored after finishing dead last in 2025, while their underlying numbers suggest they may have been significantly better than their actual record. The Pirates have plenty of young pitching behind Paul Skenes. Braxton Ashcraft broke out, Jared Jones returned from Tommy John surgery and Bubba Chandler remains part of a promising rotation. But after another season outside the playoffs, is it finally time for ownership to spend aggressively around this young core? The crew examines Pittsburgh’s defensive problems, high strikeout rate, pitching development and what the Pirates need to add this offseason to finally get back to October. Then, what happened to the Kansas City Royals? Just two years removed from reaching the playoffs, Kansas City took another major step backward in 2026. Injuries to Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic exposed the lack of pitching depth, while a disastrous bullpen helped turn run prevention from one of the Royals’ biggest strengths into their biggest weakness. There are reasons for optimism around Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, but Kansas City’s pitching numbers tell a much different story. The Royals rank near the bottom of MLB in K-BB%, Stuff+, Location+ and ERA, and their next wave of prospects may still be years away. Plus, Baseball News You Should Know: the Rays clinch the AL East, Andy Green changes course and remains manager of the Mets, Derek Falvey reportedly joins New York’s front office, weather threatens the Red Sox-Cubs weekend series, Shohei Ohtani returns to the Dodgers and Aaron Judge is expected to miss the Wild Card Series. Like, Subscribe and drop us a comment! First Pitch Arizona: https://www.baseballhq.com/pricing/first-pitch-arizona-2026 Follow DVR on Bluesky: @DVR.bsky.social Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social e-mail: [email protected] Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels Rates & Barrels MERCH: https://rates-and-barrels.printify.me/ Hosts: Derek VanRiper, Eno Sarris & Jed Lowrie Executive Producer: McEnroe Francis Editor: McEnroe Francis #MLB #Pirates #PittsburghPirates #Royals #KansasCityRoyals #RatesAndBarrels 00:00 Intro 00:42 Baseball News You Should Know 01:54 Rays Clinch the AL East 05:18 Andy Green Stays With the Mets 10:04 Derek Falvey Reportedly Joining Mets Front Office 12:48 Could Weather Alter Red Sox-Cubs? 15:17 MLB’s Final Playoff Races 16:52 Shohei Ohtani Returns for Dodgers 18:18 Aaron Judge Expected to Miss Wild Card Series 19:12 Closing the Tab: Pittsburgh Pirates 20:03 Pirates Go From MLB’s Worst to a Top-Five Offense 20:25 Oneil Cruz & Konnor Griffin Offer Reasons for Optimism 21:11 Were the Pirates Better Than Their Record? 23:38 Pittsburgh’s Underlying Numbers Tell a Different Story 24:37 The Pirates Have a Defensive Problem 28:10 Is It Finally Time for Pittsburgh to Spend? 30:55 Can Paul Skenes Bounce Back? 32:09 Pittsburgh’s Young Rotation Has Plenty of Upside 32:55 Pirates Ownership Needs to Keep Spending 33:35 Pittsburgh Still Strikes Out Too Much 34:42 Is Pirates Pitch Development Falling Behind? 41:07 How Close Is Pittsburgh to Contending? 42:40 Closing the Tab: Kansas City Royals 43:40 Injuries Expose Kansas City’s Lack of Depth 44:26 Royals Go From Elite Run Prevention to Bottom Six 45:13 Kansas City’s Pitching Numbers Are Ugly 45:49 Reasons for Optimism in the Royals’ Lineup 46:33 The Royals Need to Invest in Pitching 47:19 Where Is Kansas City’s Future Ace? 52:05 How Does Kansas City Fix This? 52:29 Salvador Perez Is Finally Showing His Age 53:12 Royals’ Farm System Is a Major Concern 53:31 Can Kansas City Find Enough Pitching? 59:07 Royals’ Massive Home-Road Split Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.