The Pirates' Top-5 Offense Is a Total Mirage, and Marcell Ozuna's .592 OPS Tells You Everything

Alright, Seattle, listen up, because even though our M's are doing their thing, there's some wild stuff happening across the league, and you gotta hear about it. The Pittsburgh Pirates, yeah, *those* Pirates, they've been playing way better this season, actually looking like a fringe postseason squad for once. A lot of optimism, right? But hold onto your hats, because ESPN's own David Schoenfield is out here with a gut punch projection, saying their offense is about to crash hard unless they pull off some massive trade moves this summer. Seriously, FanGraphs thinks their hot start is a total lie.

"Fourth in MLB" Is a Setup, Says FanGraphs

It’s crazy, right? The Pirates have actually been *scoring runs*, a lot of them. They’ve racked up 391 runs, which puts them fourth in all of MLB. Think about that for a second! Only the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Washington Nationals are ahead of them. That's some serious production, way better than anything we've seen from them in years past. You'd think they were set. But don't get it twisted, because Schoenfield is straight-up worried this team is going to fall apart. FanGraphs is even more brutal, saying their offense has "overachieved" big time and predicting a "significant decline" for the rest of the season.

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Schoenfield himself says it "feels like the Pirates are on the cliff right now." Yikes.

Marcell Ozuna's Brutal .592 OPS Is Killing Their Hopes

So, what's the actual problem? Well, Schoenfield does have a glimmer of hope for them, but it’s all tied to summer trades. He's a "little more optimistic about the offense than FanGraphs is, especially if the Pirates find a way to upgrade catcher and DH." And let me tell you, they *need* those upgrades. Remember Marcell Ozuna? The Pirates signed him for $12 million, and he's putting together a "brutal season" with a lousy .592 OPS. That kind of production from a big free-agent signing is just unacceptable, and it's killing their lineup. Add to that Endy Rodriguez's "still-early .819 OPS" and Henry Davis's even worse .518 OPS, and you can see why Schoenfield is begging them to find new bats behind the plate and at designated hitter. Look, if the Pirates manage to add both a new DH and a new catcher at the MLB trade deadline, and maybe even get some help for their rotation, bullpen, and other spots, Schoenfield thinks they "might be a legitimate postseason contender." But without those moves? That top-five run-scoring unit is gonna regress, and hard. They're on the clock to make some serious moves, or this whole surprising season is going to go south fast. Get ready to see if they make the tough calls, because the league is watching.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.