Ok. Where's Melkel. I started a new game of OOTP last night. Took over for Littlefield and traded for Bret Baty, put him at first, and he sucks! I blame Melkel!
Did you get the ‘26 version? Or is this an older version?
I haven’t been the Pirates on the ‘26 version, but in the older versions they were really hard between the payroll constraints and wide variety of outcomes with their prospects: trade Davis and he turns into a 60/60 guy. Keep him and he turns into a 40/40.
I am playing the 25 version, using a live update from end of the last season. The 2025 (or the new 2026) is a must-have, because it is harder than than the earlier versions. Even with my 100 house rules (no participating in rule 5... no waiver wire claims). I had mastered the earlier versions. I even made the playoffs in my first year as an expansion team. It all comes down to player development and good scouting. The key to player development is having coaches with good relations with the players. A guy can be "outstanding" or "legendary" at development or mechanics or hitting or pitching coaching, but if he has bad relations with the players at a given level, the players will regress. I would much rather have a guy who is just "good" at development or pitching coaching who has great relations with the players.
In 2025, the AI is much better at player evaluation and roster management. You don't find 3 major-league ready players in the rule 5 draft any more. The waiver wire is not filled with quality relievers who have only mediocre overall ratings. The new ratings system is much grainier. Not every 50 contact hitter is the same. Some players with 50 contact will hit .275. Others .240. Power and speed now are much more important. You can't get by with high-contact, medium-power guys now that power is separated from contact. If you want 30 HRs, you have to find a guy with 60 power, not a guy with 50 power and 65 contact.
As to Nutting, he never fires anyone. You can suck for years, and he will keep you. I like working for Nutting. Now try the Yankees. Despite the higher payroll, it is actually harder. 2 losing seasons, and you are fired. With Nutting, you have years to win. Dealing with a small payroll isn't so bad or hard if your player development is good: churn and burn the Ok players. Sign a couple stars. (The reason that I traded Reynolds was to free up money to sign Skenes to a 10-year deal) and then let your development system fill in the gaps. If you development system is humming, you will churn out guys who are acceptable 2.0 WAR or 3.0 WAR players for several years in their prime. It is really only the 4.0 WAR plus players you need to keep beyond their first few arb years.
So the ‘25 version is brutal. I agree. I purchased the ‘26 and did a DBacks franchise and it seems easier than the ‘25, but still harder than the prior versions.
Agree with your assessment on the AI and the scouting was just flat overhauled. Prior versions had a bajillion players with 80 potentials. That’s severely cut down. In the ‘25 version I actually had to start players under a 50 potential (the horror) which never happened in previous versions.
One thing that really comes home when starting a game as the Pirates GM updated to the end of last year is what a barren wasteland the Pirates' minor league system is between AAA and low A. You have Chandler and Johnson and that's it (OOTP hates Harrington). Branigan might be something if the random number generator is on your side. Other than that, you have nothing. The guys on here talk about it, but it really comes home when you start trying to operate with the Pirates in a simulation. It is like year 2 or 3 of an expansion team plus Skenes and Johnson.
I’ve seen Brannigan turn into a useful player. Cheng too. But a lot of that is defense/contact oriented.
And pitching, being pitching, a lot of it wipes out.
So the times I did the Pirates in ‘25, you had Reynolds/Hayes if you kept them, Terrmar, maybe one other hitting prospect was good, and then 2/5’s of a rotation out what they have on hand. Now, I managed to string together some passable winning seasons, but that was also taking advantage of lucky FA’s to fall to me. I had a guy like Profar come cheap on a 2 year deal.
Branigan is struggling in my game as is Harrington. Johnson, however, flipped a switch and is becoming a monster. I had to promote him to the majors in early August 2025 to continue his development, because he was putting up video game numbers in AAA. He proceeded to put up a .425 OBP in 2 months in the majors. I made the Horwitz trade (more or less) to the Twins for Brook Lee, and he has locked down 2B for foreseeable future;. Suwinski turned it around. I traded Hayes and moved Cruz to 3B. For 2026, I just signed Trent Grisham to play CF and spent 20 million on the bullpen. I think I may have righted the ship and should make the playoffs if all the key players stay healthy.
35 guys? You sure that is the official roster or just looks like everybody optioned to MiLB either to Indy or just generically optioned. Shelton's head would explode with that many relievers.
Pham and Frazier are going to be millstones. Why was Frazier the sub for Gonzales. Wouldn't Triolo have been a much, much better sub. Where was Suwinski; keeping Pham's seat warm? Will somebody tell Cruz about the cutoff man? Finally, when will management stop using Bednar as the closer. Send him to Indy (does he have options?) and maybe he can work it out. What a disappointing opener.
Wilbur, can you answer this: Why was the second run Scenes allowed considered earned? It was scored on a passed ball.
Ok. Where's Melkel. I started a new game of OOTP last night. Took over for Littlefield and traded for Bret Baty, put him at first, and he sucks! I blame Melkel!
Did you get the ‘26 version? Or is this an older version?
I haven’t been the Pirates on the ‘26 version, but in the older versions they were really hard between the payroll constraints and wide variety of outcomes with their prospects: trade Davis and he turns into a 60/60 guy. Keep him and he turns into a 40/40.
I am playing the 25 version, using a live update from end of the last season. The 2025 (or the new 2026) is a must-have, because it is harder than than the earlier versions. Even with my 100 house rules (no participating in rule 5... no waiver wire claims). I had mastered the earlier versions. I even made the playoffs in my first year as an expansion team. It all comes down to player development and good scouting. The key to player development is having coaches with good relations with the players. A guy can be "outstanding" or "legendary" at development or mechanics or hitting or pitching coaching, but if he has bad relations with the players at a given level, the players will regress. I would much rather have a guy who is just "good" at development or pitching coaching who has great relations with the players.
In 2025, the AI is much better at player evaluation and roster management. You don't find 3 major-league ready players in the rule 5 draft any more. The waiver wire is not filled with quality relievers who have only mediocre overall ratings. The new ratings system is much grainier. Not every 50 contact hitter is the same. Some players with 50 contact will hit .275. Others .240. Power and speed now are much more important. You can't get by with high-contact, medium-power guys now that power is separated from contact. If you want 30 HRs, you have to find a guy with 60 power, not a guy with 50 power and 65 contact.
As to Nutting, he never fires anyone. You can suck for years, and he will keep you. I like working for Nutting. Now try the Yankees. Despite the higher payroll, it is actually harder. 2 losing seasons, and you are fired. With Nutting, you have years to win. Dealing with a small payroll isn't so bad or hard if your player development is good: churn and burn the Ok players. Sign a couple stars. (The reason that I traded Reynolds was to free up money to sign Skenes to a 10-year deal) and then let your development system fill in the gaps. If you development system is humming, you will churn out guys who are acceptable 2.0 WAR or 3.0 WAR players for several years in their prime. It is really only the 4.0 WAR plus players you need to keep beyond their first few arb years.
So the ‘25 version is brutal. I agree. I purchased the ‘26 and did a DBacks franchise and it seems easier than the ‘25, but still harder than the prior versions.
Agree with your assessment on the AI and the scouting was just flat overhauled. Prior versions had a bajillion players with 80 potentials. That’s severely cut down. In the ‘25 version I actually had to start players under a 50 potential (the horror) which never happened in previous versions.
One thing that really comes home when starting a game as the Pirates GM updated to the end of last year is what a barren wasteland the Pirates' minor league system is between AAA and low A. You have Chandler and Johnson and that's it (OOTP hates Harrington). Branigan might be something if the random number generator is on your side. Other than that, you have nothing. The guys on here talk about it, but it really comes home when you start trying to operate with the Pirates in a simulation. It is like year 2 or 3 of an expansion team plus Skenes and Johnson.
I’ve seen Brannigan turn into a useful player. Cheng too. But a lot of that is defense/contact oriented.
And pitching, being pitching, a lot of it wipes out.
So the times I did the Pirates in ‘25, you had Reynolds/Hayes if you kept them, Terrmar, maybe one other hitting prospect was good, and then 2/5’s of a rotation out what they have on hand. Now, I managed to string together some passable winning seasons, but that was also taking advantage of lucky FA’s to fall to me. I had a guy like Profar come cheap on a 2 year deal.
Branigan is struggling in my game as is Harrington. Johnson, however, flipped a switch and is becoming a monster. I had to promote him to the majors in early August 2025 to continue his development, because he was putting up video game numbers in AAA. He proceeded to put up a .425 OBP in 2 months in the majors. I made the Horwitz trade (more or less) to the Twins for Brook Lee, and he has locked down 2B for foreseeable future;. Suwinski turned it around. I traded Hayes and moved Cruz to 3B. For 2026, I just signed Trent Grisham to play CF and spent 20 million on the bullpen. I think I may have righted the ship and should make the playoffs if all the key players stay healthy.
I wanted Mauricio not Baty (unless he was a throw in). After Mauricio gets healthy I think he'll crush right handers. Lefties not so much.
I traded Reynolds, so the 2025 season was a write off anyway, and I got Baty for Bednar and Davis, so I didn't give up much for him.
Ashcraft getting the start for Indy today.
35 guys? You sure that is the official roster or just looks like everybody optioned to MiLB either to Indy or just generically optioned. Shelton's head would explode with that many relievers.
Some of those guys won’t be active. Harrington, for instance, pitched at Pirate City today.
Pham and Frazier are going to be millstones. Why was Frazier the sub for Gonzales. Wouldn't Triolo have been a much, much better sub. Where was Suwinski; keeping Pham's seat warm? Will somebody tell Cruz about the cutoff man? Finally, when will management stop using Bednar as the closer. Send him to Indy (does he have options?) and maybe he can work it out. What a disappointing opener.
Wilbur, can you answer this: Why was the second run Scenes allowed considered earned? It was scored on a passed ball.
My take is that after that passed ball, Santana issued a walk, which would have forced that run in had the passed ball not occurred
PBs aren’t technically an error, so they count as earned runs. A scoring oddity I never understood
As a fantasy nerd who owns Skenes I wondered the same thing. Always thought PBs scored similar to errors as regards earned runs.
Bunch o’ guys released, no surprises: Jackson Glenn, Grant Ford, Jhonson Peña, Luke Brown, John Lopez.
Hudson Head is still here. Just doubled
O’s suck. Bases loaded, one out, Brannigan up and they rolled the inning. F***ers.
Harrington to the big league rotation, Mlod+Burrows+Ashcraft to the pen.
Nick Yorke to 2B.
I would accept literally one of those moves and be tickled, my bar for competency is low enough to trip a snail.
These all make too much sense how dare you!
Stop trying to win, is not our way.
Termarr is in the AA game today so I guess he’s headed to Altoona. Singled in first AB.
Siani also. He just went deep.
Harrington pitching. May just be staying in turn.
At least we have a good streaming option when the big league club is stinking it up.