Pirates' recent offseason moves prove Twins' Derek Shelton was unlucky scapegoat

The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton, who is now the Twins' manager, in mid-May after beginning the season with a 12-26 win-loss record. He became Pittsburgh's skipper in the 2019-20 offseason after spending two seasons as Minnesota's bench coach under Paul Molitor and Rocco Baldelli. During his tenure with the Pirates, Shelton led the team to a poor 306-440 (.410) record.

Even though Shelton had the honor of managing the best pitcher in the world, Paul Skenes, the new Twins manager wasn't provided with many competent major leaguers for his roster. In Shelton's six seasons (although he barely had his job during his sixth) serving as Pittsburgh's manager, the Pirates' total payroll never once ranked above No. 27 among Major League Baseball teams.

Now, all of a sudden, the Pirates seem to be prioritizing a competitive roster over saving money.

Pirates' additions of Ryan O'Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon García and more prove new Twins manager Derek Shelton was unlucky scapegoat

The Pirates signed first baseman Ryan O'Hearn to a two-year, $29 million contract, marking Pittsburgh's first free agent multi-year deal since 2016, when they signed Iván Nova to a three-year, $26 million deal and Francisco Liriano to a three-year, $39 million deal.

They also acquired long-time Tampa Bay Rays second baseman/outfielder Brandon Lowe, who has posted an OPS+ over 100 each season since making his MLB debut in 2018. Their other offseason additions could make a huge impact in 2026 as well. Jhostynxon García is a highly-regarded outfield prospect, Gregory Soto is a two-time All-Star lefty reliever, Jake Mangum is a strong defensive outfielder who hits for average and Mason Montgomery, a lefty reliever, has shown flashes of dominance and is only 25.

Basically, the Pirates finally decided to start adding players who can help the team become more competitive, rather than relying mainly on developing their own young players. Developing young talent is vital for a team to be competitive, but adding through free agency and the trade market is important as well.

Shelton never stood a chance at bringing the Pirates back to the postseason for the first time since 2015. It wasn't because of his management skills. It was because Pittsburgh was cheap. Unfortunately for Shelton, the Twins aren't exactly the biggest spenders, either. However, Minnesota likely has a better shot than Pittsburgh at returning to the postseason next year, even with the Pirates' recent moves.