The 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates finished the regular season 72-90. It was their 19th consecutive losing season. Little did anybody know that there would be two transactions during 2012 that would change the course of this stumbling franchise.
On February 18, 2012 the Pirates traded minor leaguers Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno to the New York Yankees for veteran right handed pitcher A.J. Burnett. The Yankees also paid $20MM of the remaining $33MM of Burnett’s contract. Burnett was a 13-year veteran who won a World Series in 2009 with the Yankees. Although the Pirates finished with their 20th losing season in a row going 79-83 in 2012, their attitude and swagger both seemed to change.
That off-season the Pirates signed free-agent catcher named Russell Martin to a two year, 17MM deal. Martin was a seven-year veteran who played five seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and two for the New York Yankees.
Martin and Burnett were former teammates in New York and brought a fiery attitude to the 2013 Pirates team. Burnett and Martin demanded more of their teammates and showed the value of experience and having your teammates backs. The 2013 Pirates were led on the field by superstar Andrew McCutchen but the reason they broke their 20-year losing streak was because of Martin and Burnett’s ability to change the team’s culture, showing them that winning is all that mattered.
Pittsburgh finished 2013 in second place with a 94-68 record. They played a post-season game for the first time since 1992, beating the Cincinnati Reds in a wild card game at PNC Park.
Martin played 2013 and 2014 for the Pirates, while Burnett played 2012 and 2013, before leaving in free agency to join the Philadelphia Phillies and coming back to Pittsburgh in 2015. The Pirates went 94-68, 88-74 and 98-64 between 2013-2015, making the playoffs all three seasons.
The 2025 Pirates come into the season with six straight losing seasons and no real direction. The team has some exciting players including last year’s rookie of the year Paul Skenes. Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and started in the All-Star game. Skenes along with Jared Jones and Mitch Keller give the Pirates a deadly 1-3 at the top of the rotation, with another superb prospect named Bubba Chandler coming soon.
The Pirates need some swag and some attitude in 2025 and they may have added both with a late off-season signing of outfielder Tommy Pham. Sportsvival does not expect Tommy Pham to hit .300 or hit 30 homers, but he has an abrasive side that “wants” to win at all costs. Pham is the closest thing the organization has had to an A.J. Burnett and with this pitching staff and young hitters, Pham could be the perfect cook to stir the pot.
Pham, 37, has played 11 seasons in the Majors and has played on several winning teams including the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks who made it to the World Series.
Could Tommy Pham be the 2025 version of A.J. Burnett or Russell Martin?, that remains to be seen, but a player with his hustle and attitude could go a long way on a young team with no real leader.
Sportsvival sees the 2025 season as an unsettled one in the NL Central with no real dominant team. If the young Pirates can learn to play with an edge, a return to the post season is not far fetched. The Tommy Pham signing could be that under the radar signing that has a lasting effect on this organization.