The headliner has been Brandon Lowe, the Pirates fan favorite who doubles as one of the more attractive free agents on the market. But Pirates general manager Ben Cherington’s focus extends beyond one specific player.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan from Las Vegas for the annual GM Meetings, Cherington maintained a desire to keep Lowe in Pittsburgh while also explaining that the Pirates’ over-arching focus involves building the deepest roster possible.
“It’s not the type of thing where we have to fill these two or three holes, and that’s where our focus is,” Cherington said. “We’re really just hunting ways to upgrade the roster in totality. If that’s pitching, it’s pitching. If that’s infield, it’s infield. If it’s outfield, it’s outfield. If it’s behind the plate … we’re just open-minded about how to do that.
“It’s an advantage because it increases the pool of opportunities we can look for; you’re not narrowed in on, ‘We have to have a catcher. We have to have a first baseman.’
“Pretty open-minded, but nothing has changed. The goal is to make this roster better between now and when we play games in 2027.”
How the Pirates deeper that roster — which Cherington agreed represents the best starting point he’s enjoyed as the GM in Pittsburgh — could obviously include Lowe, who was fantastic offensively and defensively in 2026.
In addition to hitting 35 home runs with 96 RBIs and an .824 OPS, Lowe experienced a 28-run swing in defensive runs saved and became a Gold Glove finalist.
The ability to hit for power and play an above-average second base has made Lowe a popular offseason target, as expected. Cherington said the Pirates remain in regular communication with Lowe and his agents, and the GM still hopes they can agree on an extension.
“Just [want to] emphasize how good of an experience we had with Brandon on the field and off the field,” Cherington said. “Have a tremendous amount of respect for him, his wife Madison and their family. He also had a great year. He’s put himself in a strong position. That’s great for players when they do that. I’m happy for him that he’s done that. We’re just gonna have to see what happens. Would be a great outcome if he’s back.”
Apart from Lowe, Cherington said another offseason focus involves adding pitching depth overall and specifically left-handed pitching, the latter potentially coming in the form of a starter, reliever, bulk guy or maybe a combination of all three.
“We see the advantage of having left-handed pitching at PNC Park,” Cherington said. “We see how many left-handed hitters are in the game today. We want to put ourselves in a position to combat that as well as we possibly can.”
Cherington also brought up the Brewers and Rays playing for the World Series, with Milwaukee ultimately claiming its first title. One of the things those two clubs do so well, Cherington said, involves building a team that’s good enough to play in October — and repeat that success over time.
The Pirates took some important steps in 2026, improving by 11 wins to go 82-80 and post their first winning season since 2018. They’re also not satisfied.
When Cherington looks at the Brewers and Rays, he sees teams with strong, deep rosters that also develop well and continually find ways to produce internal improvement — facets the Pirates must master along with player acquisition.
“The simple part is it’s hard work,” Cherington said. “We have a lot of information. We have a lot of talented people. I think we have really strong alignment organizationally and in baseball operations right now about what the goals are.
“We have a really good group of people who love working together and are all fired up about the same thing. … It’s exciting to see the progress. We got a little taste of more success. Got to grab more now.”
As for the GM meetings, Cherington said it’s typically the time of year where the Pirates — and other clubs — learn as much as possible about the market and other team needs, hopefully stockpiling intel and having conversations with agents that may frame other key parts of the offseason.
When it comes to improving roster depth, the knowledge acquired in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas; it will be used to direct trade or signing efforts once everyone returns home.
“Leaving the GM meetings, you have the basic information you need, then it’s time to do the work to execute,” Cherington said.
“I don’t think that’s necessarily any different this year. It’s funny. We go to these nice places and stay in nice hotels, then we’re stuck in a ballroom or a hotel suite doing work. It’s not that the work changes that much. You’re just in a different location.”
Among other topics Cherington discussed:
• Mitch Keller is healthy and throwing again after suffering a Grade 3 right arm teres major muscle strain. The Pirates have been in regular contact with Keller and don’t anticipate him having any restrictions with his offseason training.
Which is important, Cherington said, because the Pirates view this as a big offseason for Keller, who had a 5.29 ERA in 22 starts before his season was ended.
“Bottom line, we need more from Mitch in 2027 to accomplish our goals,” Cherington said. “He knows that. That’s not putting pressure on anything. That’s just a fact.
“I’m saying that because I believe he can do that. We know the talent that’s there. We know the competitor that’s there. We have to do the work to help him. He has to do the work to put himself in that position to deliver more. … I’m excited about what Mitch will do for the Pirates in 2027.”
• Cherington said the possibility of a lockout hasn’t really impacted the Pirates to this point. They’re making sure players have the information they need, and they’re trying to get as many in-person eyes on players as possible.
Whatever happens labor-wise, Cherington emphasized trusting the people doing the negotiating and not rushing their typical offseason processes.
• After a relatively down year by his lofty standards, Cherington believes Paul Skenes will be as motivated as ever to recapture his Cy Young Award-winning form from 2025. There are zero concerns when it comes to the Pirates ace.
“Paul will take everything that happened in 2026, and he’ll learn from that,” Cherington said. “He still had a really good year. I believe he’s very motivated to be even better in 2027. We know what he’s capable of doing. And he’s gonna take everything he learned in 2026 and apply it to his offseason. I’m excited about what Paul will do for the Pirates next year.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.