The Phillies have a Pirate Problem.
- David M. Hink
- Nov 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Yarrrrr me matey or something like that.
The Pirates are willing to spend money this offseason. Yes, you read that correctly.
The Pirates are at that weird point in their baseball cycle where they have achieved baseball nirvana. Pittsburgh, as an organization, only feels like it has the resources to buy players when it has a generational pitching prospect. Ten years on from Gerit Cole, Paul Skenes has blown the doors off the organization with a unanimous Cy Young Award. With more young arms in the pipe like Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler, they need bats, and fast.
The Pirates had one player register 20 home runs in 2025: Oneil Cruz, a below-average player overall on the year. They had one player who would have been a regular in the Phillies' lineup if we’re being sincere here at Brokenhearted Baseball. So, how does this affect the Phillies at all?
Passan dropped another bomb this offseason, and it was probably the most significant information drop so far this winter.
Not only will the Pirates be buying bats this offseason, but their eyes are on Kyle Schwarber as a prize. It makes sense for the Pirates, an extremely young team looking for a strong veteran power presence. Signing Kyle Schwarber gives the Pirates a foundational cleanup hitter for the next four to five years. Schwarber gets paid, stays in Pennsylvania, and gets closer to his hometown while playing in Cincinnati multiple times a year. He would also immediately step into one of the league's youngest clubhouses and become the clear veteran voice and leader, while attempting to guide the Pirates to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.
Whether or not the Phillies are willing to spend the money is not the problem; the problem is that it robs the Phillies of funds and resources for other parts of the roster. There is virtually no world anymore where Kyle Schwarber walks out of free agency with less than 30 million dollars a year. Even if the Phillies can retain his services, what does that mean for J.T. Realmuto or Harrison Bader? The extra five million or so the Phillies lose out on looms large in the Pirates' stealing either of those guys for a lineup where a stiff breeze would be an improvement.
How do you compete with a desperate ownership scared of having to sell? Only time will tell.
Do you think the Pirates buy?
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