Pirates predicted to snap 34-year streak with huge worst-to-first season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are entering the 2026 MLB season with a bit more hope than they've had in years past. While there's some uncertainty about how good they will actually be, there's no denying the hope for the team this year.

And it's for good reason. Paul Skenes might be the best pitcher in baseball, and there are plenty of other good players littering the roster that have led to optimism for the 2026 season.

Riding that optimism is MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, who shared a bold prediction that the Pirates would go from "worst to first" in 2026 by winning the NL Central.

Pirates get bold prediction of winning NL Central

"As it stands, if there's any division in which conditions might be ripe for a team to go worst to first in 2026... it's probably the NL Central," Castrovince writes. "So yeah, why not the Buccos?"

While the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are the likely favorites, after being postseason teams in 2025, both teams lost key players in Kyle Tucker and Freddy Peralta.

The Cincinnati Reds have some hope, but they missed out on Kyle Schwarber and will be without their ace in Hunter Greene for most of the year. And the St. Louis Cardinals are in a full-scale rebuild.

The Pirates winning the NL Central would be a surprise, but it's not that impossible. If they do, they not only would make the postseason for the first time in 11 years since 2015, but they would also win their division for the first time since 1992, 34 years ago.

More: Konnor Griffin projected to make Pirates Opening Day roster by two analysts

The pitching staff would be a big reason why they win the division. Skenes leading the team with another Cy Young caliber season would be huge, and with Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Mitch Keller, and others, the rotation will be strong.

But that's not all. Ryan O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe are high-quality veteran additions this offseason to bolster the offense, and with Konnor Griffin possibly coming into the Majors this year and taking over right away, they could be in an even better spot.

The Pirates finding a way to win the NL Central, while a bold prediction according to Castrovince, isn't that impossible to imagine.

With great pitching and an ascending offense, the Pirates shocking the baseball world with a postseason bid in the form of an NL Central title isn't that outlandish a prediction to make.

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