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.
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Hosts: Derek VanRiper, Eno Sarris & Jed Lowrie
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#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
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